


In Another Life

by lunabelle



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Drabble Collection, Drunkenness, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Pregnancy, Romance, Sexual Content, Smut, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2018-11-14 12:31:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 51,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11208129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunabelle/pseuds/lunabelle
Summary: A collection of AU drabbles from a tumblr prompt list, featuring none other than April and Andy!





	1. On A Park Bench (Rated G)

**Author's Note:**

> Ratings will vary by chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by meet-me-onthe-equinox on tumblr! :)  
> Prompt: _"Meeting on the same park bench AU"_

“Um…excuse me, but…you okay?”

April looked up, her head previously in her hands. The change in atmosphere wasn’t the only thing that alerted her to the stranger’s presence. She craned her neck up at the tall figure who was obscuring the sunlight that had been hitting her seconds before, her favorite park bench awash in the warm glow.

He stared down at her, tall, a little chubby, ridiculously sweaty…yet his face was kind, concerned and sweet.

“What?”

“I was wondering if you were okay,” he said, sitting down beside her but keeping his distance. “You looked upset.”

“I’m fine,” she shrugged, looking away. “I’m…having a lousy day.”

“Sorry to hear about that,” he said, and he genuinely looked sad for her. “I’m Andy, by the way.”

“April.”

He tapped his hands on his knees awkwardly. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”

_Help me? You don’t even know me._

“Not really,” she sighed. “Just…nothing seems to go right for me lately.”

“I’ve been there,” he nodded. “I used to live in a hole in the ground once. Wasn’t fun…definitely my lowest point.”

“A hole? Seriously?”

“Well, more like a big open pit behind my ex’s house,” Andy squinted, like he was trying to remember the details.

“Wow, and I thought I had it bad,” April shook her head.

“Well, it’s probably not worse than that.”

“It’s not,” she sighed. “I’ve just got some weird relationship issues…and I screwed up royally at work today. My boss was so pissed at me because I made a stupid mistake.”

Andy leaned back against the park bench, tilting his head as he listened to her. “Those days suck, but you know what always helps me when I’m feeling down?”

“What?” she asked, intrigued.

“Ice cream,” he smiled, pointing to a vendor with a little cart about fifty feet away. “You want some?”

“No thanks,” she gave him a tiny smile. “Not really in the mood right now.”

“Okay, well,” Andy shrugged. “Let me know if you change your mind. Oh, here he comes!” He stood up suddenly, his face lighting up.

April watched as Andy kneeled down in the grass by the bench, patting the ground in front of him. She had no idea what he could possibly be up to—that is, until a three-legged dog was bounding toward him with a tennis ball in its mouth.

“Good boy, Champion!” Andy smiled, pulling the dog into a hug as the animal lapped at its owner’s face enthusiastically. “You found it!”

“Is that your dog?” April asked, leaning forward slightly to get a better look.

“Yeah! This is Champion. I named him that because he’s the dog world champion, and he’s awesome. He’s only got three legs, but that doesn’t stop him!” Andy said proudly. “D’you like animals, April?”

“I love animals,” she smiled, moving over so she could pet Champion’s head. He licked her immediately. 

“Aw,” Andy scratched behind Champion’s ears. “He likes you! Good boy!”

“He’s great,” April said, and she meant it. Champion had a joy about him that was infectious. Kind of like his owner, to be honest.

“Thanks,” Andy stood again, pulling a leash out of his back pocket and clicking it onto Champion’s collar. “Hey, um, I’m gonna walk him around a bit. Did you wanna join us? Might help you forget about your day.”

April bit her lip, weighing her options. She could sit here, feeling sorry for herself and her screw ups, and talk to no one. Or, she could accompany Andy and his awesome dog on a walk.

“I promise, I’m not weird or anything,” Andy chuckled, scratching his neck.

“Fine,” April grinned. Andy’s smile, if possible, got larger. “Maybe we can get that ice cream after all, too…”

“Definitely,” Andy nodded, leading her toward the vendor cart. He held out his hand to her automatically, and she paused.

For once, April was glad to be meeting someone new.

She smiled, fitting her small hand into his warm big one, and followed.


	2. Off to War (Rated T)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested anonymously on tumblr  
> Prompt: _"Andy going off to war au"_
> 
> You can choose your own time period for this drabble. I myself prefer to think of it as more of a "Civil War era" time period.

When morning comes, she does everything she can to prolong the inevitable. The sun peeks over the hills beyond their little house, and April desperately wants it to go back down. She’s not ready to let him go just yet.

He groans, stretching his arms out and over her body that’s still so amazingly pressed up against his. They never sleep apart, let alone out of each other’s arms. Now, April would have to get used to sleeping without him until he comes back.

 _If_ he comes back. She tries hard not to think about it.

His arm snakes back over her side and pulls her closer. She knows he doesn’t want to leave, just as badly as she wants him to stay. She can't bear the thought of waking up alone every single day, missing his body, his warmth, his love. It hurt too much to think about.

“Morning,” he whispers against her ear, kissing the sensitive skin there and trailing down to her neck in little brushes of lips.

“Morning,” she answers him, keeping her eyes closed because once she opens them, everything becomes real.

“You’re beautiful,” he says automatically. The words come out effortlessly, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

It’s already too much for her to take.

“Please,” she sighs, and she can hear him inhale and exhale slowly. “Don’t go.”

“I’ve got to,” he replies.

“No, you don’t,” her voice cracks, and she rolls over and buries her head in his chest so he doesn’t have to see her eyes.

He strokes her hair gently, his hand trailing down her bare back, leaving her flesh tingling. Maybe if they were lucky, he put a baby in her last night. Their one, final night together before he left. Then again, April wasn’t sure just how lucky that was. What good would it be to have a child without Andy there to share in that joy? They’d only just gotten married, and already he’d been called away. Who knew how long he’d be gone.

“I love you so much,” he whispers, his pull on her tightening. April only cries silently against his bare chest, her wet eye lashes brushing over the dull, reddish marks she’d left on him only hours before. “I promise, I’ll come home to you.”

He shouldn’t promise something he can’t keep, but the words comfort her all the same.

By now the sun is spilling in through the window, and Andy sits up, the blanket falling off him as he stretches. April takes hold and pulls it over herself. She doesn't have the strength of will to get up just yet, even though she knows she should make him something to eat before he leaves.

_Please don’t leave._

He kisses her forehead and stands, and she knows that no matter how much she begs, no matter how long she stalls, he still has to go.

_Please don’t go._


	3. Support (Rated M)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by meet-me-onthe-equinox on tumblr! :)  
> Prompt: _"Meeting at a support group au"_
> 
> Warning: minor character death, but no names are mentioned

She’s there every single day. There, in the same chair, last row on the right. Andy notices right away that she always sits on the end, so she can arrive once the session’s already started and she can leave before it officially ends. She never says a word, but she hangs on everyone else’s.

He wants to know more about her. Why she's here, why she leaves so early, who she is…but it's honestly none of his business. If she feels like sharing with the group, then maybe he'll learn something. If not, it isn’t his place to ask. After all, everyone is here for similar reasons. 

 

“Why do you always stare at me?”

Her voice is right behind him as he’s pouring himself a lukewarm cup of the coffee from the pot they always provide. When he turns around, she’s there, staring at him with a steely expression and pursed lips. Her arms are crossed, quietly sizing him up with her glare. Her dark eyes are nearly hidden by thick, black bangs.

“Huh?”

“I said, why are you always staring at me? Do you think I don’t notice?”

“I—“ he stammers, unsure what to say. It’s been a while since he’s had a decent conversation with anyone. He kind of forgot how, to be quite honest with himself.

“Are you broken?” she asks.

“No,” he shakes his head. “Sorry I…I don’t mean to stare. I just…I notice that you always leave early and you sit kinda close to me, so it’s hard not to. To notice, I mean.”

“These things are stupid,” she shrugs, following suit and pouring herself a cup. “The coffee sucks, and I don't care about these people or their stories.”

Andy shrugs. He finds that hard to believe, because she was always listening intently whenever someone was speaking. “Why come, then?”

“I have to,” she says simply. “Doctor’s orders. Apparently, they’re afraid I’ll go crazy if I don’t.”

They stare at each other in uncomfortable silence for a few moments, the chatter of the voices around them buzzing loud in Andy's ears. Break is almost over, and the second half of the session is about to begin.

“Do you wanna go sit down?” he asks. He expects her to say no. To scoff and turn her back on him. Instead, she gives him some semblance of a smile and nods.

 

“I’m Andy,” he extends his free hand to her, once they’re seated in the familiar back row.

“April,” she says.

Her hands are freezing. Now that he was able to get a better look at her, he notices just how small she is. A full head shorter than him, and extremely thin. Actually, almost dangerously so, if he were to get medical about it…but Andy wasn’t a doctor, so…

“How long have you been coming to these things?” April asks, interrupting his thoughts.

“Um…about a year,” he says. “You?”

“Few months,” April crosses her legs and stares at him sadly. “I hate it.”

“Doesn’t it help you?” he asks.

“Does it help _you?”_

_No,_ he thinks to himself. _Not really._

“It—“

There’s a sound of someone clearing their throat, and suddenly a woman is at the podium.

“Would anyone like to start the second half?” she asks, glancing around the room.

Several people stand up at once, and before long there’s a young man taking the stand, quickly brought to tears by his own recollections, as the people listening offer words of support, sympathy, and encouragement. After a while, April shifts uncomfortably beside him, and glances back toward the exit.

“I think I’m gonna leave,” she whispers to Andy.

“Oh okay,” he sits up a little straighter. “Mind if I sneak out with you?”

“Sure.”

 

They head to the parking lot. It’s freezing, their breath puffing in little clouds with every step. Andy warms his hands in his pockets, while April leans against a car that he assumes is hers and pulls out a cigarette. She offers him the pack, and he shakes his head.

“So,” she takes a long drag on it and breathes out. “Why do you come here?”

“Sorry?” Andy says, caught off guard.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don't want to,” she says, looking down quickly. “I just thought…you know, maybe you wanted to tell me or something. I mean, why else would you keep talking to me?”

Andy was intrigued by her. There was something about April that he just couldn’t shake. Even though they’d only just started speaking, the idea of him bringing up things with her that quite honestly brought him more anguish than he cared to feel didn’t seem so bad.

“My girlfriend died about a year back,” he says softly. “Cancer.”

April’s eyes soften, and she looks directly at him. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah,” he sighs, remembering again those last few weeks, and how he’d never felt worse in his entire life. “It sucked.”

_It sucked._ He tries to think of something more to say, but he comes up empty.

“My sister,” April says suddenly, tossing her cigarette in the dirt and stomping on it.

“Oh,” is all he says in return.

“We both got pretty sick. Some weird flu, or whatever. We were both in the hospital for like, a month. I got better, she didn’t.”

“I’m sorry,” he offers. He thinks about his six older brothers, and how the thought of losing any one of them would be terrible.

“Yeah, well,” April sniffs. “Depression isn’t easily cured I guess, but this support group shit is better than talking to a shrink.”

Andy watches her. Her eyes are sad, searching for some sort of comfort that he didn’t know how to give. It had been too long since anything had comforted him.

“Listen,” he says, taking a step closer to her. “It’s freezing out, and I’m starving. Did you wanna get something to eat? Maybe some good coffee? There’s this awesome diner that we can walk to from here…JJ’s. Have you ever been there?”

“Once,” she smiles. “and yeah, the coffee’s pretty good there.”

“Awesome,” he extends his arm. April pauses, before stepping forward slowly and hooking her arm though his.

Together, they walk. Maybe, Andy thinks, just maybe, the both of them might be able to find some sort of comfort again.


	4. Speed (Rated G)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by anotheropti on tumblr :)  
> Prompt: _"cop/person getting a speeding ticket au"_

April heard the sirens before she saw them in the rearview mirror, barreling down the side road behind her. She was usually good at spotting cops and slowing down before they even had a chance to stop her. This one must’ve been hidden pretty well for her to miss it.

“Shit,” she groaned, as she pulled over on a stretch of grass by a gas station. She reached into the glove compartment to grab her registration, only to realize it wasn’t there. “Perfect,” she leaned back in her seat and exhaled sharply.

The officer took his time approaching her car, one thumb in his belt and a swagger that reminded April of every cheesy cop movie she’d ever seen before. When he was close enough, she rolled the window down and gave him a smile.

“Evening miss,” he said, lifting his sunglasses so he could get a better look at her.

“Evening, officer…” she peeked at his badge “…Dwyer,” she said casually, handing over her license.

“You know how fast you were going?” he asked, staring into her eyes briefly before checking her license.

“No,” she feigned confusion. “I really didn’t…I was rushing to see my sister, she’s sick with the flu.” April invented wildly in her head. Honestly, she was just late for work.

“Uh-huh,” he said, and April couldn’t tell if he was buying it. “Well, I think it’s a little dangerous for you to be doing—“ he checked his notes “—fifty miles per hour in a twenty-five zone, Ms. Ludgate.”

“I know, I’m sorry about that,” she said, giving him her best remorseful face. “I’m just really worried about my sister.”

The officer smirked at her, shaking his head. April was usually a pro at getting out of these things, so maybe this guy would be easy like the rest. He was tall, but bulky and muscular all at once, and his sandy hair kept blowing in the breeze. April met his eyes again—green and bright—and looked away quickly.

“Listen,” he said, crumpling up the notes in his hand. “I’m gonna let you go, okay? Only because your sister is sick. This is only my second week, so I’m still getting used to ticketing people,” he laughed. “I can’t say I enjoy it. At least you’ve got a good reason.”

April bit her lip, a wave of guilt washing over her. She looked up at him again and shook her head. “No, you’re right, I was going too fast,” she sighed. “You should ticket me.”

“What?”

“Yeah,” she tapped her hands on the wheel impatiently. “Go ahead.”

“No, I’m not gonna ticket you,” Officer Dwyer laughed. “Just go, and slow down next time.”

“Please?” she groaned. 

“I’ve never met anyone who _asked_ for a ticket before,” Andy chuckled. “You’re pretty hard on yourself, aren’t you?”

“Look, my sister is fine, okay?” April burst out, exasperated, and now so late for work that it didn’t matter anymore. “I was lying, for God’s sake…”

“You…were?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “I’m late for stupid work.”

“Oh,” for the first time, Officer Dwyer looked upset. “Wow, I really suck at this, don’t I?”

“No,” April said quickly, rolling her eyes. “I’m just a jerk who occasionally lies to sweet cops like you who are probably way too good to be doing the job they’re doing.”

He smiled. “You think I’m sweet?”

April blushed. “Look, I’m sorry Officer Dwyer—“

“Andy,” he corrected her. “My name’s Andy.”

“Andy,” she said, smiling. “I’ll slow down, I promise. Thanks for letting me go. I mean, if you’re still gonna let me go after I lied,” she shrugged, rolling her lips.

“Yeah, I’m still gonna let you go,” he said, handing her back her license. “On one condition, though,” he added.

“Okay, that’s fair,” she said, a little apprehensively. “I think?”

“Maybe sometime we can meet up for coffee?”

 _That_ caught her off guard.

“Really?” she blinked at him.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Really. If you want to, I mean.”

The idea of sitting down to coffee with Officer Andy Dwyer wasn’t the worst thing in the world to her. In fact, she was kind of looking forward to getting to know him a little better. Maybe even find out why someone as sweet as him wanted to become a cop in the first place… Worst case scenario, she got to ride in a police car.

“Okay,” she bit her lip. “I think that could be fun.”

He pumped his fist in the air, and it was so dorky, so childish, that April could’t help but laugh out loud. The urge to meet up with him outside of this awkward situation grew stronger. Reaching over to her purse, she scribbled her number down on a gum wrapper and handed it to him.

“Here,” she said.

“Thanks,” he pocketed it. “Remember what I said, though. Slow down, okay? I’ve got your number now, so don’t try anything,” he grinned.

“Got it,” she gave him a brief thumbs-up and started her car. She watched Andy back up and walk back to his cruiser, and as she started driving away his figure became smaller and smaller in the side mirror, one arm raised in a wave.


	5. Unplanned: Part 1 (Rated E)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested anonymously on tumblr  
> Prompt: _"One night stand and falling pregnant au"_
> 
> This prompt will likely have 2-3 parts to it.

“No…”

The little plastic stick dropped to the floor, and April clutched the sink with shaking hands. She felt like she was going to throw up, and not just because that’s all she’d been doing for a week straight.

“April?” her roommate Lucy called to her from outside the bathroom door, knocking with an uncertain beat. “Hey, you okay in there? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” April called quickly, turning on the sink to drink some water and mask any sounds she might emit. Puking sounds…angry sounds…scared sounds…all kinds at this point.

“Okay…”

She heard Lucy walk away, and slowly, April bent down to double check the results she’d just read.

Two pink lines. One was slightly faded, but it was there.

_“Shit.”_

 

_One month earlier…_

She straddled the musician from the bar in the front seat of his car after practically dragging him out of the venue in her haste. This guy—Andy—didn’t seem to complain. In fact, he was the one who suggested they go somewhere more private.

“You good with this?” he asked, hands cupping her ass under her skirt as she sucked on his neck, her teeth biting into warm skin with every brush against him.

“Uh-huh,” she trailed up until she met his mouth, hard. She wished he’d stop asking…it was sweet, but getting annoying at this point. Andy gripped her harder, and returned the kiss with just as much fervor.

Hurriedly, she helped rid him of his button down and the tee shirt underneath with the name of his band on it. Rat Mouse? Mouse something? It was hard to tell in the dark. She didn’t even really remember from the performance, but who cared? He groaned when she ran her hands over his bare chest, and the noise spurred her on and pushed those useless thoughts to the back of her brain. She rid herself of her own shirt just as quickly, and Andy’s eyes went immediately to her lacy bra.

“Shit,” he breathed. “You’re gorgeous.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” April smirked.

He was a big guy. Hard muscle was obvious beneath a pleasant layer of soft, and he felt amazing pressed up against her. She reached for his belt, undoing the buckle quickly as he slid his hand under the lacy fabric and palmed her breast. His hands were huge—and _God_ —they felt amazing. She could feel him stiff against her leg, begging to get free. Once his jeans were undone, she pulled him out and he stood hard in the air, ready for her. With some quick maneuvering, she tossed her underwear into the passenger seat.

“You have a condom?”

“Pocket,” he muttered, leaning forward to bite on her collarbone. April nearly lost her balance at the sensation of his teeth hard against her, but she managed to keep steady while Andy fished the little package out and tore it open.

“Hurry,” she urged him, helping him roll it down his length. Her body buzzed at the very sight of him, and she was getting impatient.

Once he was set, she didn’t waste another moment. She rose her hips just slightly, and lowered herself onto him with a heady groan.

 _“Fuck,”_ he cursed out loud, gripping her thigh hard.

With one hand in his hair and the other clutching his shoulder, April found her rhythm and rode him, their breaths harsh and ragged, until the windows of that car were fogged beyond recognition. It didn’t take long.

“Oh God,” she moaned, her body tensing up around his as she cried out.

Andy kept one hand on her hip and the other on the back of her neck. He kept pumping up into her while she came down, each roll of her hips getting slower and slower. Then, he thrusted up hard, and came with a harsh growl against her ear.

Together, they sat there in a sticky, sweaty pile, breathing hard.

“Wow,” Andy smiled lazily at her. His eyes were half-closed, all his energy gone.

“Yeah,” she grinned, rocking once more against him. “That was…”

“Awesome?” he offered.

“Yeah, I’ll go with that,” she climbed off him with shaky legs, and reached for her clothing.

 

_One month later…_

April didn’t understand where they went wrong. It seemed impossible. Did the condom break? Did it slip off? Surely she would’ve noticed that. She tried to remember whether or not she saw him toss it away after they were finished, but she just couldn’t recall.

She had no idea where to go from here, and before she could so much as think of the next step, she had to dive down to the floor to make it to the toilet bowl in time as she threw up for the fourth time that morning.

“Everything all right?” Lucy eyed April suspiciously as she reemerged from the bathroom to join her friend on the couch. “You’re looking a little pale, there…”

“Yup,” April lied, taking a seat in the old arm chair she’d taken from her parent’s place when she’d moved in.

“It’s not cool to lie to your best friend,” Lucy flipped the pages of her magazine casually.

“Ugh,” April grimaced, clutching her heaving stomach.

“Dude,” Lucy sat up, the magazine falling to the floor. “Are you—?”

“Don’t,” April groaned, curling her feet up against her body.

“April!” Lucy shrieked. “Holy shit, you’re pregnant?”

April felt unbelievably small, sitting there curled up like that. She wanted to cry, but not in front of Lucy. So she nodded and tried to take steady breaths.

“April,” Lucy stood and came over, wrapping her arms around her friend. That was one of the great things about Lucy—she always understood things without having to say much. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay. You’re fine, okay? Do you wanna talk about it?”

April nodded slowly. She didn’t know what else to do at this point.

“Okay,” Lucy squeezed into the tiny spot beside April on the chair. “First of all, do you know who the father is?”

“Yes,” April nodded again.

“Do you wanna tell me?”

April sighed. “Remember that guy from the bar? The guitarist?”

Lucy was there with her that night. In fact, they were celebrating finishing up with classes for the year.

“The guitarist,” Lucy thought hard, and then realization dawned on her. Her eyes went wide. “Oh my God, from the band! From the Snakehole Lounge?”

“Yes,” April said miserably.

“Didn’t you guys use protection?”

“Of course we did! I don’t know what the hell went wrong…”

The two women sat in silence for a while. April knew Lucy was at a loss for what to do just as much as she was.

“Are you gonna tell him?” she asked softly.

April bit her lip. Yeah, maybe she’d tell him…but that was if she was keeping the baby. She wasn’t. “No,” she shook her head.

“So you—“

“I’m not keeping it,” she said.

“Okay,” Lucy squeezed her friend’s hand and gave her a tiny smile.

 

As the weeks wore on, April kept putting the appointment off. She knew she had to do it soon, but every time she tried to will herself to go, something stopped her. She didn’t want to admit that she was having conflicting feelings, that would make the whole situation too real. She knew she had to stick with the plan, and her life would go back to normal.

She stared at Andy’s number in her phone one night as she tried to fall asleep. One hand rested on her stomach, slowly, absentmindedly, drawing circles on the skin there. She’d planned to delete his number the day after their rendezvous in the parking lot, with no intention of ever meeting up with him again. He was a good lay, there was no doubt about that. She just didn’t want a relationship now. Not when she was finally finishing up classes and a month into her new job.

She rolled over onto her side and put her phone away. These thoughts were for another day, she decided.

 

Then, the day she finally went to a prenatal appointment, everything changed.

“Okay Ms. Ludgate,” the doctor said, as the blank screen next to her came alive. “Let’s take a look.”

April watched as a big black and gray blob appeared. Then there, in the center, a tiny, flickering dot.

“That’s your baby,” Dr. Saperstein—her town’s only gynecologist—said cheerily. “See that little flicker? That’s the heartbeat right there. This puts you at about…oh, I’d say eight and a half weeks.”

April could feel her eyes stinging. Lucy sat in the chair beside her, staring at the screen with the same quiet shock on her face that April had.

She knew from that moment on, there was no way she could get rid of it. She just couldn’t. She stuffed the sonogram photo the doctor printed for her into her purse and hurried out of the office as quickly as possible, Lucy on her heels.

She needed to call Andy.

 

April sat alone in the tiny booth at JJ’s diner, waiting for Andy to join her. He was running late, which only made her more nervous. It simply gave her time to think about the conversation they were about to have. In front of her, a plate of pancakes and whipped cream sat untouched.

When she saw a tall man walk in five minutes later, she recognized him right away. He looked exactly the same as the last time she’d seen him. When he noticed her waving him over, he bounded forward enthusiastically.

“Thanks for meeting me,” April said, as he squeezed across from her in the tiny booth.

“Thanks for calling me,” Andy said. “I was really glad you did. Called, I mean. I was uh…kinda hoping you would’ve called me sooner, to be honest. I really wanted to see you again.” He smiled at her, genuinely happy to be there, and April felt a pang in her gut at the thought that she was about to destroy that happiness with only a few not-so-simple words.

“I know, I’m sorry,” she said, twisting the corner of her napkin between her fingers. “How have you been?”

“Great,” he replied, as the waitress passed and filled his coffee cup. “My band has been playing a lot lately. I love it, it’s so much fun.”

“That’s great,” she smiled, though she felt anything but happy. “Um…do you have like, another job or anything?”

“Oh! Yeah totally! I shine shoes.”

“Oh.”

“Where do you work?” he asked.

“Well,” she twirled the spoon in her decaf coffee, but didn’t drink it. “I just started a new job, actually. I run the animal control department at City Hall.”

“No way,” he said suddenly. “That’s where I work!”

“What?”

“Yeah, that’s where I shine shoes! Pioneer Hall!”

April couldn’t believe it. It was almost like the universe was playing a joke on her. “Are you serious?”

“Totally!”

He stared at her for a moment, his eyes kind as ever, and April felt absolutely awful about everything. She started to wonder if chickening out on her original plan was such a good idea. He would’ve been none the wiser, and they both could’ve gone on with their lives. Then, when they’d eventually run into each other at work, well, that could be awkward, but there wouldn’t be any strings attached.

“Andy, listen,” she said. “There’s a reason I called you to meet me here. I’ve got something important to tell you…and I don’t know how to say this, because it—it’s big, okay?”

“Okay,” he nodded. “You okay, April? You look a little pale.”

“Andy, I’m pregnant,” she blurted out quickly. “and it’s your baby.”

There was a lengthy pause, during which he blinked at her several times and his mouth hung slightly open.

“Andy?” she said. “Can you say something? Seriously, anything?”

“I—“ he shook his head, like he was trying to wake up from a dream. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” she sighed.

“We used a condom,” he said, looking absolutely confused now. “I know we did, I remember…so how could this have happened?”

“I don’t know!” she threw her hands up in the air. “Maybe it broke? I don’t get it.”

Andy closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath. April waited, unsure what to do. She told him, so the hard part was over.

 _Who am I kidding,_ she thought to herself. _The hard part is just beginning._

“So,” he said after a long while. “Are you okay?”

That caught her off guard, for sure. She’d expected a lot of things from him. Shock, anger, confusion…but certainly not the first words being whether or not _she_ was okay.

“I’m…not sure,” she said finally. “If you mean literally okay, then no. I’ve been puking my brains out for two months.”

“Oh,” he said, averting her eyes. “Well, I guess my next question is whether or not you’re keeping it?” He asked her slowly, almost like he was afraid of the answer.

“I wasn’t going to,” she told him honestly. “I changed my mind, though.”

“You’re—you—really?”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I am. I went to an appointment and everything.”

“You did?” Andy leaned forward in his seat, his hands clasped in front of him. His coffee was cold in the mug beside him, long forgotten. “What did they say?”

April reached into her purse. She wasn’t going to bring the sonogram photo, but a little voice in the back of her mind told her it might be a good idea. Now she was glad she did. She pushed it across the booth to Andy.

“They said the baby’s fine,” she told him. “They said the heartbeat looked strong and I’m healthy too.”

“What am I looking at?” Andy asked, squinting at it.

April smiled, and pointed to the little blob in the center. “See? That’s the baby, right there.”

Andy’s mouth hung open as he studied the photo, his large finger tracing the little shapeless creature’s outline. She watched as his lips turned up into a smile.

“Thank you for showing me this,” he said, finally.

“Yeah, of course,” she said.

“Is it a boy or a girl?”

“It’s way too early to tell,” she told him.

“God,” Andy scratched his head nervously. “I seriously can’t believe this happened. I’m—we’re—gonna have a kid.”

“Yup,” April said.

He looked at her suddenly, with worried eyes. “April?”

“Yeah?”

“I know we don’t really know each other that well aside from…um…that night,” he said. “But, I want to be part of—I mean, if you want me to, that is—I want to be part of the baby’s life. I want to help any way I can.”

April looked up, meeting his gaze for the first time during their entire meeting, and smiled. For the first time since she found out the news, she felt a little better about her situation. “Of course you can,” she assured him. “You’re this kid’s dad.”

He smiled, and reached across the table to grasp her hand. “Thank you, April.”

She nodded, and he gave her a reassuring squeeze. “Andy?”

“Hmm?”

“Aren’t you nervous about this? Aren’t you, like, scared or anything?”

“Yeah,” he said seriously. “Yeah, I totally am. But you know what? We’re gonna be okay.”

April didn’t know what to say. Instead, she got up and squeezed into the seat next to him, and Andy put a reassuring arm around her shoulder.

_We’ll be okay._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you didn't notice, the Lucy this fic is referring to is the same Lucy who goes on to marry Tom in canon. In opti's amazing fic, _"Forever Enough,"_ Lucy appears as April's friend in the epilogue, and I loved that idea so much and it felt right for this, so I had to include it. :)


	6. Coffee Shop (Rated G)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested anonymously on tumblr  
> Prompt: _"Meeting in a coffee shop au"_

“We’re closing.”

Andy looked up from his coffee, only to come face-to-face with the short, black haired girl who worked behind the counter. She was staring at him with an annoyed look on her face, impatiently tapping her foot.

“Oh,” he sat up. “Sorry, I guess I lost track of time.”

“Well, I need you to leave if I want to go home so,” she looked around, and the two of them were the only ones left in the place. “Can you get moving?”

“Yeah, I get it,” he stood, over a foot taller than her head. “I didn’t meant to keep you waiting. It’s been a weird day for me, I guess.” He tossed his empty coffee cup in the trash and stretched. He really did lose track of time. He’d been sitting there for two hours at the very least. He wasn’t wearing a watch and his phone was dead.

The girl walked away from him and proceeded to wipe down the tables surrounding them. She didn’t say anything, but Andy could tell she kept peeking at him when he wasn’t looking.

She spoke up suddenly, catching him off guard. “Weird days are awesome,” she shrugged. “I love weird days.”

“Yeah?” he smiled. “I dunno, I don’t think you’d like this type of day.”

“Oh no?” she looked up. “Try me.”

“Okay,” Andy said. “My girlfriend just dumped me and kicked me out of our house, and I got fired from my job on top of it.”

The barista’s expression softened immediately. She looked a little embarrassed. “Oh…sorry,” she offered. “That’s not weird, that’s just…shitty.”

“Yep,” he nodded.

“Why?”

“Sorry?” Andy looked at her.

“Why’d she dump you? If you wanted to share, I mean.”

Andy sighed. “She was mad I lied about something. Also, I think she’s into someone else.”

“Well, why’d you lie to her?” the girl asked. Andy saw her name tag read _“April.”_

“It’s complicated,” he said. “I had two broken legs, and I really liked when she took care of me, and it was this whole big thing and it’s all my fault, and now she won’t even speak to me.” The words tumbled out of his mouth in rapid succession, and before he knew it, they were both sitting down again, facing each other at the little round table. “…and she’s been hanging around with this guy named Mark way too much lately, and I think she wants to be with him now.”

At some point, April had poured them both new cups of coffee, making a fresh pot of it just for them to share. If she’d had somewhere to be before, she certainly didn’t seem to mind being late now. Andy really enjoyed her company, so it was completely fine with him.

“Well,” April sipped her black coffee. “No offense, but your girlfriend sounds like a jerk.”

“She’s like the nicest person ever though,” Andy sighed. “I miss her.”

“Andy,” April started, and for a second, Andy was really kind of happy she remembered his name. “You can do so much better.”

“I guess?”

“No really, you can. I mean, you seem like a good guy to me, and I just met you,” she smiled.

“Thanks,” he nodded. “I still don’t know what I’ll do without a job, though…”

“Hey,” April sat up suddenly. “Dude, work here!”

“Here?”

“Yeah,” April nodded. “One of our baristas is leaving at the end of the week, so we’re gonna have an opening. I can put in a good word for you with our boss, Leslie. She owns this place. She’s awesome, so I don’t think you’ll have a problem.”

“Really? You’d do that for me?”

“Duh,” April rolled her eyes.

“Wow,” Andy laughed. “April, thank you so much.”

“No big deal,” she shrugged.

They sat there, quietly staring at each other. April had a tiny smile on her face, and Andy realized just how pretty she was when she wasn’t scowling. Not that she wasn’t pretty before, but even the slightest smile lit up her face.

“I guess I’d better get going,” he stood up. “Didn’t mean to keep you for so long. You must wanna get home.”

“It’s fine,” she said. “I was gonna go meet my boyfriends, but they’ve been acting so lame lately.”

“Boyfriends?” Andy felt a little pang of jealousy that came out of no where.

“Yeah,” April smirked. “My boyfriend Derek is gay, but we still do stuff sometimes. He’s got this other boyfriend Ben, who I can’t stand and I never do stuff with.”

“Oh,” was all he could reply with. It made his head hurt trying to figure it out.

“But I’d much rather sit here with you and drink coffee,” she said softly.

The jealousy vanished, and Andy felt immediately better. “You wanna go somewhere else?”

“Like where?”

“Well, there’s some cool places I know we can go get a drink at,” he suggested. “Or we can go see a movie or something.”

“I think I’d like to go get a drink with you,” she said.

“Really?” Andy felt better than he had all day. The whole thing with his ex seemed completely insignificant in that moment, and he was fine with it. “Awesome!”

“C’mon,” she led him out the back way, taking his hand in hers.

Andy followed, excited for what his previously bleak future had in store for him. If this girl April was involved in any way, he figured it was bound to be amazing.


	7. Unplanned: Part 2 (Rated T)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two of my "one night stand/pregnancy" AU

April barely noticed the knocking on her bedroom door. She was too distracted by her appearance in the mirror, surrounded by piles of clothes she’d thrown to the floor in frustration. She’d come close to knocking the mirror down in her anger, but thankfully thought better of it.

“April?” Lucy’s voice called out. “Andy’s here.”

Her stomach was far rounder now. Four months in, and April was finally starting to show. None of her clothes did a good enough job of hiding her belly, and all of her bras were nearly fit to burst. Tired beyond belief, constantly aching all over, she gave up, sighed, and pulled the extra large t-shirt she’d originally discarded off the floor and over her head.

“Tell him to come in,” she called back, trying to flatten the shirt over her front to no avail.

He’d been coming around a lot more often lately. Since their meet up at JJ’s diner, April had made a point to learn as much about him as she could. After all, he was the father of her baby whether she liked it or not. The great thing about it was that she actually _did_ really like him. He was sweet, smart in his own ways, unbelievably caring, and always there when she needed him, which these days was quite often. He never hesitated to pick up the phone when she called, whether it be the middle of the day or late at night, and now that they worked in the same building, he was never more than a short walk away.

The door opened a bit, and Andy peeked his head through. “Hi,” he smiled at her. “You ready?” he stepped in, closing it behind him. They were supposed to be on their way to one of her prenatal appointments by now, but of course they were running late.

April took a ragged breath and shook her head. It was bad enough she could no longer control her body or her appetite, but now she could barely control her emotions either. She dropped down onto her mattress and curled up.

“Hey,” Andy crossed the distance between them in two strides, perching himself on the edge of her bed. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t do this,” she sniffed, not looking at him.

“April…”

“This was a mistake.”

Andy watched her helplessly, and April wanted nothing more than for him to leave. He didn’t go, though. Instead, he placed a firm, steady hand on her shoulder and gently rubbed.

“I’m here as long as you want me to be,” he said softly. “We don’t have to go to the appointment if you don’t want to. We can call and reschedule…tell them you’re not feeling good.”

April peered at him through wet eyes. “You haven’t stopped talking about this appointment for weeks,” she said. “Don’t you want to find out what the baby is?” It was all he’d been looking forward to. She could see the disappointment at the thought of not going plain on his face.

“Of course I do,” he shrugged. “Not if you’re upset and don’t wanna go, though.”

There it was again…that care for her that Andy always exhibited so well.

“I’m okay,” she sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes. “I’ll be fine.”

Andy put an arm around her shoulder and leaned his head against her. She secretly loved when he did that. It always made her feel like she wasn’t alone in this…and that was the best feeling she could ask for.

“Okay,” he said finally.

 

“I’ll ask you one more time,” Dr. Saperstein grinned at them holding the probe above her bare belly. “You definitely want to know what gender the baby is?”

“Yes,” April replied, after a final, quick glance at an excited Andy.

“Okay,” Dr. Saperstein ran the tool along her abdomen, staring at the screen in front of him. He moved it back and forth a few times repeatedly in the same spot, before he smiled wide. “See right between the legs there? Congratulations you two…it’s a boy!”

Andy let out a choked-sounding gasp, almost more like a sob, and when April turned to look at him his eyes were red and watery. He hastily wiped them on his sleeve and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Wow,” April breathed, staring at the screen.

“I’ll go ahead and print this up for you,” Dr. Saperstein said. “He looks great. Perfect size, everything looks normal. He doesn’t like to turn around for us though…I’m having a hard time getting a clear photo of his face for you.”

“That’s okay,” April shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”

“Little guy likes to hide,” Andy chuckled. “I liked to play hide and seek a lot too when I was a kid, too.”

“Oh! Ms. Ludgate, before you go,” Dr. Saperstein turned to rummage though his papers as April pulled her shirt back down. “I’ve got those informational brochures you asked for about adoption…they’re in here somewhere…”

April froze, and she could feel Andy pull his hand away. When she turned to face him, he looked at her, horrified.

“What’s he talking about?” Andy asked slowly.

“Here you go!” Dr. Saperstein handed April the brochures and the sonogram photos. “If you have any questions about them just give us a call. If not, I’ll see you guys next month.” He gave them a final wave and left them alone in the examination room so April could finish getting dressed.

April looked at Andy, feeling ashamed and apprehensive. He was still staring at her.

“Andy—“

“What did he mean about adoption brochures?” Andy asked slowly. “You said…you told me you wanted this.”

“I just…” she struggled to find the words. How could she explain to him she’d been having second thoughts? He was so excited, there was no way she could do that to him without breaking his heart. It was a stupid thought she’d had on one particularly bad evening, when she was scared and she felt like everything was falling apart around her. She needed to see what other options were out there. It wasn’t fair to the baby. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you, Andy. I promise, I’m not thinking like that anymore—”

“So what, then? You don’t want him?” Andy said, a little coldly. “You just decided without me what the plan was, and screw what I thought, right?”

“Andy, no—“

“I mean, you didn’t even bother to stop and ask what I thought,” he shook his head. “You just assumed that just because you don’t want our kid means I don’t either?”

“Andy, I was never going to make any decisions without talking to you first!” she reached out to put a hand on his arm, but he pulled away angrily. She’d never seen him so upset, and it was extremely off-putting.

“I thought you wanted this,” he said softly. “I thought you wanted to do this with me. I guess I was wrong. I mean, I’m just a guy from a bar with no job, right?”

April’s heart sank. Those were the exact words Lucy had used to describe him a couple of nights ago, right before Andy had come to visit April at her place. She had no idea that he’d overheard them, but now she assumed he’d had to have been right outside the door.

“Andy!” her eyes were tearing up now, but he wouldn’t look at her.

“I gotta get some air,” he said stiffly. “I’ll find another way home.”

“Andy, no,” she pleaded, grabbing his arm. “C’mon, let’s just drive back and we can talk about everything, I promise—“

“I want to walk,” he said, pulling away and opening the door. “I’ll talk to you later.”

April watched helplessly as he walked away without looking back, and it took everything in her power not to break down.

By the time she’d made it to her car, he was no where in sight. She tried dialing his number, but it went to voicemail after a few rings. Angrily, she tossed her phone into the passenger seat, where it bounced off the cushion and onto the floor.

“Perfect,” she muttered. With a grunt, she leaned over and blindly reached for it. Her hand gripped a piece of folded paper instead. Curiously, she sat back up and read the messy, scrawled writing. She recognized it immediately.

_Favorite Names for a boy_

Below that, a small list.

_Jack_   
_Andrew Maxwell Dwyer Jr._   
_Burt ?_   
_Johnny Karate_

A smaller list below only had two names for a girl.

_Alexandra_   
_April_

April bit her lip, feeling awful, as a single tear drop fell and smudged the ink.

 

“April, you need to eat something,” Lucy sighed, edging the untouched dinner plate toward her roommate on the couch. “Seriously dude, you need to keep that baby fed.”

“I’m not hungry, Luce,” April muttered, curled up beneath her favorite quilt.

“C’mon,” Lucy smiled at her. “I made your favorite type of chicken! I even payed extra for the healthier kind. Plus, I’ve seen Andy quite a few times…this kid’s not exactly destined to be a small baby, so he needs to eat,” she gave a dry chuckle.

“I don’t want to talk about Andy,” April said quickly.

“April, I’m sure he’ll come around…”

“He was so mad,” April sighed. “You should’ve seen him…he’s never gotten like that before.”

“How do you know, though?” Lucy said. “You barely know him…”

“I just _know,”_ April rolled her eyes. “and I wanted to get to know him! I wanted us to get along.”

Lucy sat beside April, lifting her friend’s feet so she could fit on the couch too. “Do you have feelings for him?”

April sighed again. “I don’t know.”

“April…”

“I don’t know how I feel,” she groaned, her stomach churning uncomfortably. “I mean, yeah, of course I feel something for him. Why wouldn’t I? I just don't get it, though. I’m so confused, and he won’t answer my calls.”

“He’ll call you,” Lucy assured her. “I know he will. If he doesn’t, he’s an idiot.”

“He heard us talking the other day, you know,” April leaned her head back against the couch. “He heard what you said about him being a guy with no job.”

“He did?” Lucy looked horrified. 

“Uh-huh,” April nodded. “He must've been right outside the door.”

“Shit…” Lucy groaned. “Didn’t he hear the part right after that about you telling me to shut the hell up?”

“Apparently not…”

“I’m sorry, April…”

“Listen,” April sat up, pulling the blanket off her legs. “I don’t feel so great. I’m gonna go lie down.”

“Okay,” Lucy looked concerned. “I’ll put the food away for you. Maybe try eating again later?”

“Sure,” April stood on shaky legs. Her stomach was becoming more and more of a nuisance at this point, and she wasn't used to the weight. “You still going out with Tom later?”

“I don’t know,” Lucy shrugged. “Not if you’re not feeling well.”

“I’ll be fine—“ April stumbled a little on her way to her bedroom. 

“April—“

“No, seriously,” she held a hand up and shook her head. “I just want to go to bed.”

 

The pains in April’s stomach woke her around midnight, causing her to run to the bathroom and throw up. Her knees made hard contact with the tiles on the floor as she dove down to clutch the bowl, breathing heavily. There was barely anything in her stomach, but the meager amount of bile made its way up her throat all the same.

Then it happened again, and again…and before she knew it her eyes were stinging and she felt like she was going to pass out.

“L-Lucy?” she called, trying to wake her friend. “Lucy! _Fuck…”_

The footsteps were quick, and before she knew it Lucy was standing in the doorway to the bathroom and staring at her with wide eyes.

“April?” she knelt beside her friend and wrapped her arm around her. “What’s going on?”

“I feel sick,” April muttered, coughing hard until a small amount of sour liquid worked its way up. “I can't stop throwing up and my head is pounding…”

“C’mon,” Lucy tried to help April stand. “We’re going to the hospital.”

“Hey,” April stood on shaky legs, clutching Lucy’s arm for support and holding her stomach with her other hand. “You need to call Andy, okay?”

“Don’t worry about him, April.”

“Call him, Lucy…please. He needs to know.”

“I will,” Lucy promised. “Let’s just worry about you first, okay?”

 

By the time April woke up, it was already early afternoon. The room was bright, filled with daylight, and she was tucked comfortably into a hospital bed covered with warm sheets. An IV was pumping fluids into her right arm, but for as much as she secretly hated needles, she could barely feel it. She remembered the previous night and shuddered, thankful it was over.

“April?”

She jumped at the voice, not expecting anyone to be there with her. Yet there he was, sitting in a chair on the other side of her bed, staring at her with exhausted eyes.

“Andy?” she whispered. At the moment, her voice was nearly shot.

“Hey,” he stood, carefully reaching out to caress her cheek. “How’re you feeling?”

“Okay I think,” she said. Slowly, she lifted her own hand and met his. “You showed up…”

“Of course I did,” he said softly. “As soon as Lucy called me I came as fast as I could. I've been here since two in the morning, but you were already fast asleep by the time I got here.” He sighed, breathing deeply. “I’m so sorry, April.”

“Andy—“

“No listen, I’m sorry I got so mad at you. I should’ve just listened to what you had to say, you know?”

“Okay, then listen to me now,” she said, her voice straining with each word. “It’s okay…I should’ve talked to you first about how I was feeling…I…” she stopped, trailing off as a wave of nausea hit her.

“You okay?” he asked nervously.

“I—I’m just so nauseous,” she groaned.

Andy stared at her, helpless looking. “The doctor should be back in a bit to tell us what’s wrong with you,” he said soothingly. “Just relax, okay? We've got lots of time to talk. Oh!” he poured her a cup of amber liquid from the hospital pitcher on the side table. “Here, have some ginger ale. Should definitely help.”

“Thanks,” she nodded, taking a sip before she leaned back into the pillow. “Is our baby okay?”

Andy met her gaze, his mouth turned up in a smile, and nodded. “He’s fine. Promise.”

“Good,” she smiled, feeling her eyes getting heavy. “Thanks, Andy…”

“For what?” he reached for her hand, and for a moment she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his big, warm hand over hers.

“I dunno,” she shrugged. “Being here with me… Not leaving me to do this by myself.”

“Of course,” he said, though his voice seemed far off and echo-like. “Get some rest, okay?”

 

_“Hyperemesis gravidarum.”_

The word was a mouthful, but when Dr. Saperstein explained it to April and Andy, it was fairly simple to understand.

“So,” Andy said, his hand on April’s as they braced for the news. “Pretty much what you're telling us is that April just got dehydrated because she's been throwing up so much?”

“Pretty much,” Dr. Saperstein nodded. “It's like bad morning sickness, but it’s also more than that. She's been extra nauseous, and in turn she's throwing up more and not drinking or eating enough to make up for it. She needs to stay much more hydrated.”

“Can I go home?” April asked.

“Tomorrow,” Dr. Saperstein assured her. “We’re gonna keep you one more night to make sure you’re hydrated enough. Then when you get home it’s plenty of fluids and lots of rest. I’ll write you a doctor’s note to take the rest of the week off work.”

“Thanks,” Andy smiled at the doctor, and turned to April. “Hey, um…you think you’ll be okay when you go home? Is Lucy going to stay and take care of you?”

“I can’t ask her to take the time out of work for that,” she shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I’ll probably get fired from my stupid job, though…I’m four months pregnant and out sick for a week, and I haven’t even worked there for half a year yet…”

“Don’t worry about work,” Andy shrugged. “I personally know the woman who helps run the Parks Department. I’ll put in the best word for you.”

“Who, Leslie Knope?” April had met her several times. She was the one who conducted her job interview.

“Yeah,” Andy nodded. “She’s awesome. I used to date her best friend. She actually got me the job at the shoeshine stand!”

“I’m not surprised,” April sighed. “Leslie seems to know everyone in this dumb town.”

“Well,” Andy scratched his beard. “If Lucy isn’t gonna be able to stay with you, I can if you want.”

April would be lying if she said she hadn’t sometimes thought of Andy staying with her. They hadn’t really even figured their own relationship out yet—if you could call it that—aside from the fact that they were having a kid together. They’d barely touched each other in the four months since they’d hooked up, aside from the occasional hug. Usually Andy would come over a few nights a week and hang out for a bit so they could get to know each other better. He also came to a few of her appointments, but that was it.

The truth was, she _did_ have some feelings for him, even if she didn’t fully understand them yet. She’d never claim to be a mindreader—okay, maybe a witch on occasion—but she got the sense that he felt the same way about her.

“Okay,” she smiled, relaxing against her pillows. “Yeah, I’ll talk to Lucy about it, but I think I’d really like that.”

“Awesome,” he smiled. “Okay, well, you should rest a bit more. I’ll be right here if you need me.”

 

“Hey Andy?”

“Yeah?” he looked up from his magazine, where his eyes darted to the hospital food brought down for April’s dinner, and the half-full glass of water. “Um, April…can you please drink a little more before you say anything else? Remember what the doctor said?”

“Sure thing, _mom,”_ April rolled her eyes and drank, and Andy grinned.

Once he was satisfied with her water intake, he spoke up again. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to talk about the whole adoption thing,” she said seriously. “I feel like we never really covered it, and it’s important.”

“Oh,” Andy sat up and cleared his throat. “Um, yeah…definitely…”

“Listen,” she began, wringing her hands together over and over as she spoke. “I asked Dr. Saperstein about it at my appointment last month. I was just curious, okay? I was having a really, really bad couple of nights. Sometimes I feel like I’ll never be good enough for this. You know…to be this kid’s mother, raise him to be a good person and all that.” April waited for him to say something, but Andy remained silent, waiting for her to continue. “So, I just wanted a little more information, and Dr. Saperstein told me he would give me some brochures to look over. You’ve got to understand, Andy,” she said. “I would never make a decision like that without talking to you first. It’s not something for me to decide alone.”

“I understand,” he said. “but…tell me the truth, April. Is this something you want? Or are you seriously thinking of giving up our son?”

_Our son._

“Andy, come on,” she groaned a little. “Don’t make it sound like that.”

“But…that’s what it is, April,” he said. “I’m not making it sound like anything. You didn’t really answer me, though. Is adoption something you really want?”

A month ago, she thought she did. The baby would have a real chance at a good home, not a life of struggle with a mother fresh out of college and no real direction in the world.

That was then, though.

“No,” she shook her head. “I don’t want that. I want us to do this, but only if you can promise me you’ll be there for us. Promise me that you’ll be a dad, and not take off a few months into it because you realize what a mistake it was, or some shit like that.”

Andy’s smile was brighter than she’d ever seen before, and when he came close enough she realized he had tears in his eyes.

“I’d never do that to you,” he said, pulling her carefully into a hug. “I have no idea how to be a dad,” he said, his voice muffled by her hair. “but I’m gonna do my best to figure it out. I promise.”

April held him tight, leaning into his chest, relieved for the first time since the stick turned pink that this was happening. She finally felt like she had a little piece of mind.

As Andy pulled away, she caught his lips in the softest kiss. She cupped his cheek, rubbing her fingers though his patchy beard and loving how it felt.

“We’re gonna be okay, right?” she whispered, once they broke apart. Her hands linked around his neck, and she met his green stare.

“Of course we will,” he assured her, his eyes darting back to her lips. “I have this feeling that you and me can do anything, April.”

“Good,” she sighed, and pulled him in for another kiss.


	8. Something Between Us (Rated E)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by the wonderful anotheropti on tumblr :)  
> Prompt: _"Nanny/single parent au"_

As she did every day, April Ludgate got the Dwyer girls up in the morning and ready for school. She dressed them, she combed and styled their hair, and she packed their lunches. She did all of this because she loved it, truly, genuinely loved it, and she loved those girls like they were her own.

At five and seven years old, they loved her back just as much. Maybe even a little more than their own mother, but April didn’t like thinking about her. Instead, she treasured that little bit of knowledge, keeping the smug satisfaction to herself whenever Ann came to collect them every other weekend, or the occasional day when she had them both in the middle of the week.

Ann didn't like April. April didn’t like Ann. When they had to cross paths, which they undoubtably had to do every now and then, they kept it civil, at best.

Their dad was as loving as a father could get. Andy worked hard, and often. Some fancy high-paying job that would send him to London once a month for nearly a week at a time. He missed his girls terribly when he went, but he always had faith in April, and he left with the knowledge that she’d be there for them when they needed it.

Now packed for yet another business trip, Andy stood in the kitchen and checked his phone for emails. “All good before I go?” he asked, pouring himself a final cup of coffee three hours before his scheduled flight. “Ugh, this sucks. I feel like I just came home.”

April was still in the process of clearing the girls’ breakfast dishes from the counter, scraping the uneaten bits into the trash.

“All set,” she nodded. “I checked everything in your bag for you, because God knows you’re hopeless,” she rolled her eyes at him.

“Hey,” he grinned. “I’m not totally hopeless.”

“Last time you forgot to pack underwear.”

Andy shrugged sheepishly. “Well…”

“Well,” April chuckled. “The point is, if you didn’t have me you’d probably still be trying to wrestle the kids out of bed and the kitchen would be on fire.”

Andy stepped closer, a smug smile playing on his lips. “Who said you can cook?”

“Never said I could,” April moved forward, until she was barely a foot away from him.

“I mean,” he reached out, pulling her forward by the waist. “You nearly _did_ set my kitchen on fire once…”

“Once,” she muttered, as her eyes darted to his lips. “You don't need to bring it up every—“

Andy kissed her hard on the mouth, April’s words trailing off as she locked her arms around his neck.

Yeah…there was also that _one_ little detail. She occasionally screwed her boss.

Andy lifted her, his hands gripping her bare thighs with needy fingers beneath her skirt as he hoisted her up and against the kitchen wall, never breaking the kiss. April wove her fingers into the curls on the back of his head, biting at his lips as he quickly unbuckled his belt and shrugged off his suit jacket. 

“You’re gonna miss your flight,” she grunted, as his teeth bit into the soft skin beneath her ear. “…again.”

“I’ll be quick,” he replied, while his hands palmed her breasts beneath her shirt.

April rolled her eyes playfully, reaching down to feel him stiff in his boxers, giving a few underhanded strokes to bring him to his peak. “Not too quick,” she warned him.

“Never,” Andy groaned, tensing up under her touch. “C’mon, April…”

With one hand on his shoulder to keep herself steady, April pulled her panties to the side and slid herself onto him, gasping briefly at the immediate fullness before she shoved her tongue back into his mouth.

Andy returned it eagerly, giving a few hard, steady pumps before April was able to start a rhythm.

“Fuck,” he grunted, pulling away for a moment to kiss her neck. “You feel so fucking good…”

“Andy…” April moaned softly, each of his thrusts slamming her back against the wall.

The pulses became fevered, hurried, frantic…and it wasn’t long before April had to shut her eyes and squeeze her thighs against him, while her legs hung limp around his sides.

“Don’t stop,” she groaned against his ear, biting at him, but she knew he wouldn’t. Not until she finished…Andy was always putting her first.

It took another few seconds, and then she was shaking against him, her breath ragged and harsh. Andy swallowed her sounds, his thrusting becoming furious until the frames on the wall rattled. With April’s body finally giving out, he let her fall into his arms as he came, gasping the air around them like a drowning man.

The both of them stood there, sweaty, tired and red-faced, until Andy carefully lowered her to the ground. April swayed on the spot, her legs weak.

“You’re gonna miss your stupid flight,” she said again, breathing hard as she leaned against the wall. Still, she smiled at him and readjusted her clothing.

“Going,” Andy laughed softly, zipping himself up while checking to be sure there were no giveaway stains on his clothes. “Wish I didn’t have to,” he sighed.

“Well,” April ran her hand through her hair and returned to clearing dishes like what just happened between them was no big deal. “Tell stupid Ben that he should go instead. Isn’t that what a business partner is for?”

“Yeah,” Andy looked at her thoughtfully. “but he’s not as good at the non-profit stuff like I am. He’s better at the business and marketing part that I hate.”

“That’s because he’s a nerd,” April scoffed. “I don’t like him.”

“Well, he thinks you’re pretty cool,” Andy said.

“Don’t care,” she shrugged. “His wife’s okay, though.”

Andy checked his watch and made a face. “Listen, I’ve got to go. Call me if there’s any problems with the girls, okay?”

“Of course,” April said.

He ran forward and pulled her into a deep kiss, before he grabbed his suitcase and keys and hurried out the door.

April watched him go. She’d be kidding herself if she tried to think for even a minute that there wasn’t something deeper between them…some unspoken feeling that neither of them would admit to. Their relationship had to be more than the occasional fuck against a wall.

In the meantime, it sucked every single time he had to leave. She hated it, he hated it, the girls hated it. But like every other time, he’d be back again, and that was what she would always look forward to.

Andy was a good guy. A kind, genuine, slightly goofy, caring guy. An amazing father, and from what April knew of his relationship with his ex, a loving husband. Until of course, Ann decided she didn’t want to be married to him anymore.

Still, there was a tiny part of April that wanted to move forward with this…thing they had. Maybe that day would come, eventually. Until then, she continued to do what she was there to do, and that was to help care for those two girls.

She loved them fiercely, so she was just fine with that.


	9. The Girl Next Door (Rated G)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten year old Andy Dwyer gets a new neighbor, and she's not much like most of the other kids he's known.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by meet-me-onthe-equinox on tumblr! :)  
> Prompt: _"New neighbors AU"_

When the moving truck arrived across the street on that sunny, Friday morning, Andy Dwyer felt more excited than he’d been in a long time.

He loved meeting new people, and it had been far too long since he’d had anyone his age in the neighborhood. Having six older brothers was nice, but sometimes he needed a change. Sure enough, he saw the movers carrying a couple of bicycles that were totally too small for an adult, and his first thought was that there were at least two kids there.

So, on Sunday afternoon when his mom told him they were going to bring some cookies over for the new neighbors and welcome them to the neighborhood, he jumped at the opportunity to tag along.

“Remember honey,” she said, as they walked the short distance across the street. “we're not staying long. We want to say hello, and welcome, and we’re going to let them relax because I’m sure they’ve had a busy weekend.”

“Right,” Andy nodded, already past her height at ten years old as he kept up with her strides.

The man and woman who opened the door were pleasant enough. Mr. and Mrs. Ludgate—he learned—both smiled wide and welcomed them inside without a second thought, and while Andy’s mom sat down with them in the kitchen, Andy peered around for a hopeful sign of the kids. Unfortunately, no one was around.

“Um,” he walked up to the adults and tried to remember his manners about interrupting a conversation. “Excuse me,” he said, clearing his throat. “Do you have any kids?”

“Oh, look at us getting carried away,” Mrs. Ludgate laughed. “I should have introduced you. We have two daughters, but I’m not quite sure where they’ve gone to at the moment—“

“Ah,” Mr. Ludgate pointed past the sliding glass door into the backyard. “Zuzu’s outside on the swing! Go on over and introduce yourself!” he nodded at Andy.

“Thank you,” Andy said politely, before crossing the small kitchen and heading out back.

The girl on the swings didn’t look up when she heard him coming. In fact, she was making a point to stare fixedly at the ground as she hung onto the chains with both hands, scuffing her sneakers against the grass beneath her. She was small, thin and short, with long black hair and bangs that nearly obscured her eyes.

Finally, when he was all but on the swing next to her, she looked up slowly.

“Hi,” Andy said immediately, flashing her a smile.

“Hey,” she said, in what was probably the softest voice ever.

“I’m Andy,” he said. “What’s your name?”

She paused, before just as quietly replying, “April.”

“That’s a pretty name,” Andy said, taking a seat on the swing next to her. “I thought your dad said your name was ‘Zuzu’ though?”

“That’s just what they call me,” she said, looking a bit embarrassed.

“Oh, that’s a cool nickname!” he told her, because it was. “We live in the brown house across the street. My mom is inside talking to your parents.”

She stared at him with large, brown eyes. Andy wasn’t sure why she was so quiet, but he kept talking anyway. She didn’t tell him to leave her alone, so he figured it was okay. “Where did you guys move from?”

“Indianapolis,” she said.

“Oh, awesome! I’ve been there a couple times,” Andy smiled. “You’ll like it here. Hey, how old are you?”

“Nine,” she replied.

“I’m ten,” he said proudly. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“A sister,” she said, looking up at him. “Natalie. She’s up in her room.”

Andy kicked at the grass, where his long legs easily stuck out much farther than hers. He’d never met anyone so quiet before in his life.

“You want me to leave?” he asked suddenly, feeling like maybe he should’ve left her alone in the first place.

“No,” she shook her head. “Why?”

“You don’t seem like you want to talk to me,” he said. “and that’s totally cool!” he added quickly, staring at her like he said something offensive. “I just wanted to be sure.”

“Sometimes I don’t like talking to people,” she said, not breaking eye contact now. “Sometimes I like to be by myself or just listen.”

“I understand,” he said, nodding. “Sometimes I don’t like to be around people either. Especially when they’re getting mad at me for something, which happens a lot.”

“You mean like your parents?” she asked curiously.

“Not my mom, really,” Andy said. “She gets me. But a lot of the time my teachers tell me I don’t pay enough attention in class or I need to sit still and focus, and it’s hard for me. I have six older brothers, so I don’t always get the most attention, but it’s fine… My, uh…my dad died a few years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” April said, looking genuinely upset.

“It’s okay,” he shrugged.

They sat in silence for a moment, the both of them watching a large butterfly pass over the fence into the next yard.

“I didn’t want to move here,” April piped up suddenly. “I wanted to stay in Indianapolis. My friend Orin lives there, and my grandparents.” She looked sad in that moment, and it made Andy feel funny. He never liked it when people were sad.

“Sorry,” he said. “That really stinks.”

“Yeah.”

Another long pause…and Andy was starting to wonder if he was overstaying his welcome, when April took a breath and spoke again.

“You know how you said sometimes you can’t sit still, or you can’t focus on stuff?”

“Yeah,” he said.

April bit her lip and sighed. “Sometimes I get really, really nervous when I’m around people. Like, my stomach feels funny, and I get a little dizzy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I can’t help it. When that happens I just need to be by myself. So I came out here on the swing because it was nice and quiet.”

“Oh,” Andy said. He didn’t totally understand where she was coming from, but he’d definitely try. “If you ever feel that way again you can always come hang out with me. I can be pretty quiet. Or if you want, we can play video games or watch TV or something. We don’t have to talk.”

Then, April smiled at him. It was like her entire face lit up, and she looked so pretty that Andy couldn’t help but stare.

“Andrew!” his mother called from the house, and Andy jumped and looked up in her direction. “Time to go!”

“I gotta go,” he said, standing up. “Maybe I’ll see you again soon?”

“Okay,” April said softly, her eyes a little brighter.

“It was nice meeting you,” Andy smiled. “I’m glad you moved to the neighborhood.”

“Yeah,” she said. “Nice to meet you too, Andy.”

“Bye April.”


	10. High School (Rated G)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes the right person can make all the difference.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by spiderman0117 on tumblr! :)  
> Prompt: _"High school AU"_

It was always the same, most days. She would linger at her locker, trying to will the time to go by quicker. She hated high school, and three months in hadn’t changed much. She was the skinny, short freshmen who had no friends, who tried to blend into the wall hoping she would just disappear. April Ludgate had certainly had better days.

Stacy and her gang of blonde clones didn’t make it any easier for her. Tormenting her seemed to be their favorite part of the day. If they weren’t calling her horrible names to her face as they passed, they would whisper things about her in hushed breaths as they walked by. Today, they were criticizing her clothing.

“Looks like it came out of a dumpster,” they laughed, all five of them emitting the same horrible, high-pitched squeal of a sound.

April always tried her best to ignore them. Maybe if she didn’t look at them, they wouldn’t get the satisfaction.

Today though, today was different. Today she didn’t have to deal with them alone.

“I think you look great,” the tall, somewhat bulky junior boy said as he stood by her locker. He seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. April had never spoken to him before, but she’d seen him around. He had a lot of friends.

Stacy and her friends ceased their giggling immediately, eyeing the tall boy curiously.

“She’s a freak,” Stacy said, her hand on her hip, puffing her chest out to expose her low-cut, cleavage-baring tank top. “You shouldn’t bother trying to be friends with her.”

“I’d sooner be friends with a freak then a bunch of cliquey jerks,” the tall boy said, frowning.

That shut them up. They walked away in a huff, and he turned to April and smiled.

“I’m Andy,” he said, extending his hand. “I’ve seen you around school. They bother you all the time don’t they?” His eyes looked almost sad. “I thought maybe I could help get them off your back.”

“April,” she replied, taking his hand cautiously. His grip was firm and warm, closing over her entire hand. “…and thanks.” 

“Nice to meet you.”

She didn’t know why he was even talking to her, let alone defending her. Whatever it was, she got no ill feelings from him. He made her smile, and that was the best thing of all.

 

He still came by her locker every day after that first morning, and they’d walk to their first class together. As the months passed, April learned more and more about him. Like how he had six older brothers, he liked to play sports, and he already had his driver’s license. She mostly just listened while he did all the talking, but Andy never seemed to mind. He just seemed happy to be in her company, even though she had no idea why.

“Why do you like hanging out with me?” April asked. It was a gorgeous spring day, and they’d decided to eat their lunches in the school courtyard.

“I think you’re awesome,” he shrugged, like it was obvious.

“Do you think I’m weird?” she asked curiously, picking at her ham and cheese sandwich. 

“Everyone’s weird,” Andy replied. “But I think that’s okay.”

She smiled, and stole one of his french fries.

“I wanted to ask you something, April,” he said, fidgeting his hands. “Don’t laugh, okay? I know how you feel about this stuff…”

“What?” she looked up at him, smiling. She was curious. Andy was never nervous around her, not in all the time she’d known him so far, and that was nearly the entire school year now.

“Would you want to…to go to…um…”

She blinked at him, watching as a blush crept up his face.

“Prom?” he finally managed to say. “Will you go to my junior prom with me?”

April sighed. She swore she’d never do something as silly as attend a high school prom. Of course, that was before she had anyone who genuinely wanted to go with her, and not ask her as some sort of joke like she’d always kind of assumed would happen. Now, as she watched Andy watching her, nervously waiting for an answer, the correct response had never been more simple.

He was worth putting up with all that stupid, cliché high school stuff. He gave her a chance, and now she was going to return the favor.

“Fine.”

He blinked. “You will?”

“Yeah, fine…I totally will,” she shrugged.

Andy let out a relieved laugh and threw his arms around her in a tight hug. She held on, lost in his warm embrace, and his facial hair tickled her cheek as they broke apart.

“You have no idea how awesome this is,” he said, abandoning his lunch and staring at her happily.

April smiled, and her grin only grew wider as she watched Stacy and her gang stomp by the picnic tables with sour looks on their faces, as though they couldn’t believe such a thing could happen.

She felt pretty awesome about it.

 

“Ugh,” April looked at herself in the mirror, flattening the dark blue dress in front. She felt stupid.

“Honey, you look beautiful,” her mother said, watching from the door way. “This Andy fellow is a lucky boy. Your father and I can’t wait to meet him.”

“Mom,” April sighed. “Stop.”

“Well, he is.”

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to wear her grandmother’s antique black veil she asked her mother to bring down from the closet. It was totally unnecessary, but she couldn’t help but want something to make her stand out from the rest of the girls at her school. It was her last chance to make some sort of statement without being too over the top. If she was going to go to a stupid prom, she at least wanted to make sure she didn’t look like the rest of the idiotic girls there.

“I look dumb,” she shrugged, taking the veil off and tossing it on the bed.

“Well,” her sister Natalie piped up from her own bedroom doorway. “You don’t look the _dumbest,_ so I guess in your case that’s pretty good.”

“Nat, shut up—“

The doorbell rang and startled all of them.

“Oh my God,” April looked around, her stomach rolling with nerves. “That’s Andy…”

She was starting to feel sick. This had to go well, or else he’d never want to see her again. Grabbing the tiny veil just in case, she followed her mother to the front door and took a deep breath.

Andy stood there in a neat, black tux and bowtie. He immediately smiled at her mother, but when he saw April standing just off to the side, his eyes widened and his mouth hung open.

April blushed, unsure what to do. “Hi,” she said dumbly.

“H-hi,” he repeated. “Wow, April…you look…beautiful.”

“Stop,” she rolled her eyes.

“You do,” he said, handing her a bouquet of flowers that matched her dress almost perfectly. “You’re gorgeous.”

Mrs. Ludgate beamed with pride. Mr. Ludgate, who had emerged from the living room, cleared his throat.

“Oh, sorry,” Andy said, shaking his head. “Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Ludgate. I’m Andy Dwyer.”

She could tell that her parents liked him immediately. They exchanged pleasantries, and Andy promised to have her home by midnight. Then, with a smile and a wave—or in April’s case, an eye-roll—they were walking toward Andy’s car. He made a show of it, opening the door for her and closing it once she got in. She couldn’t help but laugh at his chivalry, because it contrasted so much with the goofy junior she knew so well, but she appreciated it all the same.

 

The prom itself wasn’t as bad as she thought. They were seated with some of his friends, but only for the dinner portion. April told him she didn’t dance, but that didn’t stop Andy from pulling her out into the middle of the floor, even if it was to make a fool of himself with his own moves.

April couldn’t believe it, but at some point in the night she realized she was actually having a good time. She liked being with Andy like this. She enjoyed his company, she didn’t hate his friends—although that Ben guy was a total nerd—and she flashed Stacy the sweetest, most pleasantly obvious smile she could when the other girl walked by, making sure to don her veil in the process.

“Thanks for coming with me tonight, April,” Andy said, as the two of them sipped punch during a lull and watched the other students dance. “I’m really happy you agreed.”

“I’m happy I did too,” she said honestly. “I didn’t think I’d ever be caught dead at one of these, but here I am.”

“Hey,” he said. “You wanna get some air? It’s kinda stuffy in here.”

“Yeah, definitely,” she nodded.

Together, they walked out the front door of the event building. It was a starry, chilly night. April rubbed her arms, until Andy took off his own tux jacket and put it over her shoulders.

“Thanks,” she smiled.

“No problem,” he waved her off. “I’m actually warm, so…”

“Hey, Andy?” she looked up at him. His face was glowing in the moonlight, his eyes reflecting the stars back at the sky. It was actually beautiful, and for a moment she was lost in the sight before her.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for not being…like…um…” she sighed, unsure how to finish.

“Like what?” he asked softly.

“Like everyone else.”

“What d’you mean?” he looked confused.

“For not treating me like everyone else does. For not seeing me as some weird freak.”

He looked at her like he couldn’t believe such a thing was possible. “I’d never think that,” he said. “I think you’re the coolest person I’ve ever met.”

“Yeah, well,” she sighed. “You’re probably the only one.”

“Those other people don’t know what they're talking about,” he said seriously. He reached for her hand and turned her so she was facing him. “You’re the best. And you’re beautiful, too…”

“Andy…”

“I’m serious,” he said softly, reaching up with his other hand to gently lift the tiny black veil.

She knew he meant it, and that thought gave her the courage she needed as she leaned in to meet his kiss. He bent down a little, and their mouths connected in the softest, gentlest touch. It lasted far longer than any first kiss should have, especially one at a school-funded function, but no one was out there to stop them.

Andy ran his hand through her hair, carefully grabbing a fist full and running his fingers though it slowly. April did the same, reaching up to link her arms around his neck.

It was like everything fell into place in that moment. Like she knew she was meant to be there with Andy, in the parking lot of the stupid Pawnee Super Suites Motel and Function Hall. Cars honked at them as they passed, but they didn’t care. All that mattered in that moment was the two of them.

“Wow,” Andy said dazedly, once they finally broke apart.

“Yeah,” April’s voice was soft and shy. She could feel her cheeks still burning.

“You, uh…wanna get out of here?” he asked, after a beat. “Go get something to eat?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “That sounds good.”

“I know a great place,” he smiled. “JJ’s Diner serves breakfast food all day long. I was gonna have us go there after prom with my friends, but I’d much rather go with just you.”

“Me too,” April nodded, taking his hand as he led her back to his car.

As Andy opened her car door for her again with a silly smile and a bow, April laughed out loud. She took hold of his hand once he climbed into the drivers seat, and didn’t let go for a long time after.

She would always be happy they found each other that day in the hallway. The world was full of sucky people, but Andy Dwyer was one of a kind.


	11. Three Years Too Long (Rated T)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In an alternate universe, Andy and April haven't seen or spoken to each other in three years. Then a chance encounter at the Unity Concert changes everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by meet-me-onthe-equinox on tumblr :)  
> Prompt: _"Exes meeting again after not speaking for years AU"_

Andy thought he was imagining things. He was running on little to no sleep. It was late, he’d had next to no food in his system but far too much alcohol, and there was no way she could be here. He hadn’t seen her in years.

He looked out over the heads in the crowd, the hundreds of people swarming the Unity Concert grounds. Almost as though she sensed him, she looked up.

“Andy?”

He wasn’t imagining things. She was real. He’d remember her voice anywhere. 

“April?”

He walked slowly toward her, almost like he was living some strange dream he’d had a million times, one where they didn’t break up and go their separate ways over something stupid, one where he’d made better decisions, one where he'd stopped himself from letting the most important person in his life just walk away.

“Hey,” she smiled at him, and it was that same, shy little smirk that never seemed to change even after all this time.

“Hey,” he returned it, unsure what to say…because what _do_ you say to someone after three long years?

April didn’t seem to mind, though. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug all the same, her head reaching that familiar spot below his chin. “How have you been?”

Hesitantly, he put his arms around her and tried to tighten the hug. She broke away before he had the chance.

“I’ve been good,” he said, only half-truthfully, because how do you explain to someone how much you fucked up, how much you missed them, how incredibly happy you are to see them when they probably don’t want anything to do with you anymore?

April stared up at him, and for a moment, Andy was taken back to all those times when the sight before him was the most amazing thing in the world. When he’d cup her cheeks and lean down to kiss her lips, and she’d laugh the way she used to do only for him.

“You look great,” she said, awkwardly bumping her closed fists together—something she often did when she was feeling a little anxious.

“You do too,” he said truthfully. “You look beau—awesome.” Was he still allowed to call her beautiful?

She nodded slowly, and for a second her eyes flashed disappointment. “Ha, thanks…”

 _You’re such an idiot,_ he told himself. _You don’t deserve her. You_ didn’t _deserve her._

“So, um,” he scratched his facial hair. “What brings you back here?”

“I got an e-mail from Leslie,” April shrugged. “She told me about this Unity Concert thing and how big it was, or whatever, and said if I was in town I should check it out. Guess I’m not surprised to see you here, though,” she smiled. “Land Ho was always one of your favorite bands…”

“Actually,” he said, trying to sound modest. “I'm kinda running it, but it’s no big deal…”

“Dude,” her smile widened. “Shut up! Seriously?”

“Yeah,” he smiled back. “I’m in charge of like, all the super important stuff…but mostly all the music.”

April looked around, impressed. “So you put this together?”

“Uh-huh,” he nodded.

“Andy, that’s awesome,” she said, and he could tell she genuinely meant it. “I’m happy for you.”

“How’s DC?” he asked, unable to help himself. “You like living there? I mean, do you miss it here at all?” _Do you miss me?_

“It’s fine,” she shrugged. “I’m working at this place called the American Service Foundation. I help people find jobs.”

“Awesome!” he said. “You like it?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I really do. It’s actually perfect for me.”

She _looked_ happy. He hated that he wished she’d told him that DC made her miserable, that she wanted to move back home. _Back with him._

“You know, you—‘

Andy was interrupted when a tall, dark young man arrived at April’s side. Her face lit up when she saw him. Casually, he draped one arm around her waist, and turned to the both of them like he’d been part of their conversation the entire time.

Immediately, Andy felt his anger surge. His fists clenched at his sides, and all he wanted to do in that moment was grab this guy by the shirt and yank him as hard as he could away from April. The site of his hands around her made him nauseous, and her smile at his arrival felt like a knife in his heart.

“Andy,” April turned back to him. “This is Eddie.”

“Hi,” the man named Eddie smiled, flashing a set of bright, white teeth, and reached out his hand for Andy to shake.

“Hey,” Andy said, slowly meeting the man’s handshake. “Eddie…um, you guys friends or coworkers or something?”

“No,” April rolled her eyes. “He’s my boyfriend.”

There it was. The pain of those three words was something he’d never forget. It’s not like he expected her to stay single forever. It’d been three years, for God’s sake, and he’d certainly had his fair share of hook-ups…but still, there’s a huge difference between thinking something and seeing it with your own eyes.

“Oh, yeah,” Andy laughed nervously. “Duh…”

“How do you know each other?” Eddie asked, his Spanish accent unmistakable now that he'd said more than a few words. He looked from April to Andy curiously.

“Andy’s an old friend of mine,” April said. “We used to work together in City Hall.”

_We were more than that. Tell him what we were._

“Yeah, well,” Andy shrugged. What else was there to say? “Hope you guys are planning on sticking around for a bit. There’s still a lot happening today and tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” April said. “We will. We just got here a little while ago. We’re in town for the weekend.”

“Great,” Andy faked a smile. “Awesome to hear.”

“April,” Eddie took her hand and pointed to a booth a ways away. “Let’s go check that one out.”

“Sure,” she said softly. “I’ll meet you there, okay?”

Eddie turned to Andy once more and nodded, clapping him on the shoulder before making straight for the booth. April watched him go before she turned back to Andy.

“So,” Andy said, feeling like every ounce of his being was being crushed over and over by some imaginary boulder. “He seems nice.”

“Yeah, he’s pretty cool.”

“Where’d you meet?”

“He was a client of mine at work,” she shrugged.

“Is that allowed?” Andy chuckled dryly.

“Well,” April scoffed a little. “I mean, it was once he wasn’t my client anymore.”

“How come you didn’t tell him about us?”

April glanced up at him, frowning a bit. “I just didn’t want to, that’s all.”

“We were more than just friends,” he said softly. “Way more…”

“Andy, I don’t want to get into this,” she sighed. “It doesn’t matter, okay?”

“Do you, um,” he stumbled a bit over his words. “You guys live together?”

“No.”

Somehow, that made him feel better.

“Well, I’m…I’m super happy for you,” Andy lied again. Everything was a lie. Everything except how beautiful she looked. “You seem like everything is working out and you look really happy. I’m glad.”

“Yeah, thanks,” she looked at the ground before meeting his eyes again. “Listen, I have to go, but maybe I’ll see you again before I leave?”

Andy didn’t want her to go. He wanted to talk to her for hours and take her to dinner. He wanted to kiss her and pull her close and never let her go.

“I hope so,” he said softly. “I’m still at the house, so…you know where to find me.”

“Great,” April smiled, and leaned in to hug him again. This time, she held on tight, taking a deep breath against the fabric of his shirt.

Andy did the same, inhaling the familiar scent of her hair that came back to him in waves, like it had only been yesterday that they woke up together, laughing and talking.

Then, he watched her walk away.

 

_One Month Later…_

He was four beers deep into a six pack when he heard the knock on the door. Andy looked up from his spot on the couch. For a moment, he thought he’d imagined it, because the sound of the rain coming down in sheets and the thunder booming in the sky was enough to drown out everything else.

Although only slightly drunk, Andy at least had enough sense to remember that the pizza had already arrived. Hours ago, in fact…so whoever it was certainly wasn’t expected for ten o’clock on a Sunday evening.

The bell rang this time, and he scrambled up with a frustrated sigh. If it was Ben again he was seriously going to lose it. He and Leslie hadn’t stopped coming over since they’d found out he and April had reconnected, even if it was for a few minutes. They were worried about him “relapsing” or whatever they kept calling it. Like he was going to go insane if they didn’t keep an eye on him. It made him feel like a child, and he hated it. So, it was with an annoyed look on his face that he swung the front door open, ready to actually yell at his friend.

Except it wasn’t Ben. It was April.

His voice caught in his throat, and for a moment, he only stared at her. She stood there in the pouring rain, soaking wet from head to toe. Her hair hung dripping and limp around her, her clothes clung to her like saran wrap, and she stared up at him with wide brown eyes.

“April—“

She didn’t give him a chance. She leapt into his arms, wrapping herself around him as tightly as she could. She buried her face in his neck, and for a moment, Andy thought he might fall backwards. Instead, he held on and clung to her just as tightly, slamming the door closed with his foot.

Andy felt like he might burst with some sort of happiness he thought he’d long given up on. He didn’t know what to say, only hold her tight, too afraid to let go out of fear that she’d leave him again.

“I love you,” she managed to mumble against him. His shoulder muffled her words, and her voice was thick with tears. They were both totally soaked. “I missed you so much.”

Hearing those words again, Andy thought he might break down on the spot. He felt alive again. “I love you too,” he said softly. “so, so much. I’m so sorry, baby.” He ran his hands through her dripping hair, just to get the feeling of those silky black locks he used to run his fingers through. “I love you so much…”

Then she kissed him, and the feeling of her lips against his, soft and warm and familiar, was everything. He lost track of time, of where he was, and suddenly it was though no time had passed at all. They were Andy and April, together again like they should be. Everything he needed was right here, and he vowed to himself he’d never make the same mistakes.

 

After, Andy lay against her in bed, their limbs intertwined in a tired pile. April wasn’t asleep, but she didn’t say a word for a long time, only snuggled against him tightly, trying to get as close as she could possibly go. He knew she wanted to make up for lost time just as much as he did.

From the start, it felt natural again. Nothing was forced or exaggerated. Everything was the way it was supposed to be.

Andy ran his hand up her side, coming to rest on her shoulder. “I missed this,” he whispered.

“Mhm,” she nodded, pressing her palm against his chest. 

“April,” he asked, because he genuinely needed to know. “Why did you come back?”

April took a deep breath and glanced up at him. Andy couldn’t take his eyes off her, from her slim body and the way it gleamed from the sweat still clinging to her skin, to her hair, splayed out on the pillow in a messy halo, to her eyes, lidded and tired and beautiful as she stared at him.

“I missed you so much,” she said slowly. “When I saw you that day, that was all it took for me to realize that Washington DC is the worst place because you’re not there with me. What happened was stupid, and I shouldn’t have left—”

“It was my fault though,” Andy said quickly. “You didn’t do anything—“

“I didn’t fight for us,” she interrupted him. “I left, and I didn’t try.”

“April—“

“It doesn't matter anymore, Andy,” she said. “It doesn’t matter because after all that time, I still couldn’t live without you.” She leaned in to kiss him again, and for a moment, that was all he needed.

“Wait,” he said, once they broke apart. “What happened to Eddie?”

“Not sure,” she chuckled. “I told him I didn’t want to see him anymore like, two weeks ago.”

“You—“

“He wasn’t you, Andy,” she said quickly, threading her fingers through his hair. “He could never be you.”

Andy didn’t know what else to say. Like April said, it truly didn’t matter anymore. None of it did, only the future. _Their_ future that they were going to build together, the one that was always meant to be. That was his only thought as April nuzzled against him to fall asleep in his arms.

She was safe and warm and happy. She was _home._ He was never going to lose her again.


	12. Party (Rated T)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by anotheropti on tumblr :)  
> Prompt: _"Meeting at a party while drunk AU"_

“Now are you glad we came?”

Derek’s voice was unnaturally loud in April’s ears, but she was sure that had something to do with the three drinks she’d consumed. They certainly dulled the boredom of this lame attempt at a party, but they helped her nonetheless. After all, she wouldn’t have come here if she had to be sober the entire time.

Her part-time boyfriend walked off, a smug look on his face, leaving April to lean unceremoniously against the wall for balance. Her red plastic cup was nearly empty, the sour tasting concoction tinged with blue food coloring all but gone. She debated whether or not to try for a fourth, when she felt her stomach rolling.

She bolted to the nearest bathroom and closed herself inside, and immediately the pounding raucous of the party was cut off to a faint murmur. She staggered to the toilet and promptly threw up.

“Shit,” she sighed, pulling herself back into a standing position.

A hard knock on the door startled her.

“Go away,” she yelled, wiping her mouth unceremoniously with the back of her hand. She rinsed her mouth out with water and sighed. The room was slightly spinning, and as much as she wanted to leave she had to go and find Derek first. After all, he was her ride.

April opened the door and walked out, past the several drunk girls waiting in line to get in, past the couples making out on the couch, past the long-abandoned “food” table, and straight out the front door. She needed air anyway.

The breeze was cool and refreshing on her face, and although she was still sick to her stomach, it helped a little. She swayed where she stood, trying to get her bearings as she clutched the railing down the stairs. Unfortunately for April, her coordination was shot.

She tumbled forward, expecting the impact, but none came. Instead, she felt two warm hands grabbing her around the waist, gently setting her right-side up again above the ground.

_“You okay?”_

April looked up. She was in the arms of some tall man, staring down at her with wide, worried green eyes. He must have caught her before she hit the ground.

“W-what?” she asked, feeling sick again.

“You fell,” he said, and his voice was low and pleasant. “You seem pretty out of it…”

“I’m f-fine,” she said slowly. Now for some reason he had two heads, and April had to close her eyes because her head was spinning.

“C’mon,” he said, and the next thing April knew, they were moving. She passed out somewhere after that.

 

When April opened her eyes, she was lying on a futon, covered in a large, warm quilt. She didn’t recognize the room, but it was small, and covered in posters of bands she’d only sort of heard of. An alarm clock sat on a table to her right. There were several guitars on stands in the corner, and a small television was propped up on some shelves across from her. It was a tiny bedroom.

Panic took over, and she sat up quickly. She was still a little tipsy, but she had enough sense to know she was in a place she probably shouldn’t be. Maybe she’d been drugged? She was about to bolt, when the door opened and someone walked through.

“Hey,” the tall guy from earlier stopped in his tracks, carrying two cans of something in his hands. He looked completely shocked to see her awake.

“Who are you?” April asked shakily, backing up. “Where the hell am I?” She had to get out of here before this guy tried to tie her up, lock her up…whatever he was going to do, she wasn’t going to let it happen. She could still hear the pounding of the party below, which meant she was only upstairs and Derek had to be down there somewhere.

“I’m Andy,” he said, holding his hands up even though they were full. “I’m sorry, I—I just thought you looked a little sick and maybe needed to—“

“Why did you bring me here?” April asked nervously. “Who’s room is this?”

“You fell,” he said, carefully placing the cans on the shelves with the TV. “You um…you fell, and I caught you…then you passed out. I thought maybe…um…maybe you could lie down for a bit ’til you feel better?”

“I need to leave,” she said. “I need to find my boyfriend and go.”

“Okay,” Andy said. “Yeah, feel free to go. I’m not stopping you.”

As April stood, she felt that nauseating dizziness take over. Her head was spinning, and she swayed on the spot.

“Woah,” Andy said, reaching forward. “Take it easy, okay? Here, let me help you.” He gently took her by the elbow and sat her back down on the edge of the futon. He cracked open one of the cans and held it out to her.

“The last thing I need is beer,” she scoffed.

“It’s not beer,” he said. “It’s seltzer water. It’s supposed to help.”

“Oh,” she looked at him quickly and averted her eyes, taking the can with a quiet, “Thanks.” She took a few gulps, and the bubbles were soothing when they hit her stomach. “Where am I?”

“My room,” Andy said, shrugging. “Thought you might need to get away from the party for a bit.”

“This is your house?” she asked, not completely believing it. “You’re the one who threw the party?”

“Oh, no,” Andy shook his head. “My friend Tom did. This is his house, I just rent out the small extra room upstairs. Pretty cool that he lets me live here.” Andy took a seat in the desk chair beside the futon and sipped his own seltzer.

“Well, thanks,” April said slowly. “I’m April, by the way.”

Andy smiled.

“I really should go now, though,” she said. “I’ve gotta find my ride.”

“Is he able to drive you home?” Andy asked, looking a bit concerned. “I mean, he didn’t drink too much, did he?”

Now that April thought about it, she hadn’t seen Derek since right before she’d gotten sick. She had no idea how drunk he was, or whether or not he was even still here. She checked her phone, and there were no missed calls. Wherever he was, he certainly wasn’t looking for her.

“I don’t know,” she sighed.

“Well, you wanna go look for him?” Andy asked.

April stared at Andy for a moment. He didn’t seem drunk. In fact, he looked and acted perfectly sober. “Not in a partying mood?”

“Not really,” Andy sighed. “Tom throws these stupid parties every other weekend. I get kind of sick of them after a while.”

April understood completely. She wasn’t a huge fan of things like this to begin with, but to have to deal with them so often…well, that certainly sucked.

“Well,” she said. “He obviously doesn’t care where I am, so…I guess it doesn’t matter.”

“I can give you a ride home,” Andy said immediately. “I mean, I haven’t had anything to drink…or, we can hang out and watch TV or something.”

April bit her lip. To leave would be fine, but where would she go? Home? At the same time, she might have found the one person in this whole house who wasn’t completely lame. “I dunno,” she shrugged. She still felt a little woozy, and lying down for a bit wouldn’t be the worst thing.

 

Andy waited, watching April with interest. She was short, black bangs obscuring the tops of her eyes, but there was something about her he couldn’t shake, and not in a bad way, either.

He’d seen her from a distance on his way back from getting some air. She’d been stumbling down the front steps, completely out of it…he could tell she was bound to fall even from a distance. He also remembered the three or four guys who’d been leering at her with hungry eyes by the keg in the front yard. He’d sped up to reach her just in time, so when she started losing her balance he was there to catch her.

He’d only meant to take her somewhere quiet, but there had been no where to go. His room seemed like the best option. At least it was away from all the partygoers, and that was because he made Tom promise no one would go in there. She’d passed out in his arms before he’d been able to fully think his plan through.

“Whatever you want to do,” he said. “Let me know.”

“Yeah,” she said finally. “I’ll hang out for a bit.”

“Yeah?”

“Sure,” she nodded. “No TV though…I don’t think my head can handle any more sound.”

“Awesome,” Andy nodded. “no problem.” He joined her on the futon, pulling the big quilt up and handing it to her. April took it gratefully, draping it over her legs.

Andy didn’t want to be weird around her. He kept his distance, but it was April who closed that gap. It didn’t seem to bother her that they barely knew each other, or that she was in a complete stranger’s room—something he’d been unsure about, given how creepy it could have come off—but she relaxed against him all the same. She cuddled up next to him, and pushed her head against his chest with a sigh.

“Um,” Andy said softly. “You comfortable?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, immediately closing her eyes. “Hope this is okay. I’m so tired.”

“Of course,” he said immediately. “Relax, or fall asleep. Whatever you need.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, as her hand went to clutch the quilt and bring it up to her chin.

Andy spread it out around her so she was completely covered. Her feet were drawn up, her shoes kicked off, and he felt her nuzzle closer with every movement.

“You’re welcome,” he said, smiling to himself.

 

April woke up next to something warm. She opened her eyes slowly, adjusting to the dark room with several blinks. Then, the warm thing shifted, and she remembered exactly where she was.

Andy was curled up against her, snoring lightly. She could see the indentation on his shirt where her head had been resting. He was so incredibly warm, warmer than anyone she’d ever met, and it made for the most comfortable sleep she’d had in a while.

She sat up to check her phone, and was shocked to realize it was three in the morning. The sounds of the party were long gone, and she had several missed calls from Derek, plus a few dozen texts.

“April?”

She turned her head, and Andy was stretching beside her.

“Hey,” she smiled. “Morning…sort of,” she chuckled.

“What time is it?” he yawned.

“Three.”

“In the afternoon?” his eyes were wide.

“No, the morning,” she laughed. “We fell asleep.”

“Oh wow,” he blinked a few times. “Damn. Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, lots better,” she nodded. “Thanks, by the way. You know, for letting me crash here and making sure I didn’t die in a fiery wreck with someone.” 

“Don’t mention it,” Andy waved her off and sat up. He watched her read over the texts with interest. “What’s wrong?” 

“Ugh… My stupid boyfriend finally realized I was gone,” April shook her head. “He wasn’t too happy I wasn’t answering him.”

“Shit,” Andy groaned. “I’m sorry, this is my fault.”

“No, it’s not,” April said. “He didn’t seem to care where I was last night, so why should he care now? I mean, he was only sorta my boyfriend, anyway. I don’t really know what we were, to be honest.” It was true. They were never official, and half the time Derek was off with his “friend” Ben, so she had no clue what kind of relationship that qualified as.

“Oh,” Andy said. “Well, don’t take this the wrong way, but if he didn’t care that you were drunk and alone last night, he doesn’t seem like that good of a boyfriend to me.”

“You’re right,” April said, and he was. In fact, Andy was the only one who’d even cared, and she barely knew him. She needed to end it with Derek. She typed him something quick and hoped it would be enough, before laying back down in her previous position. “Do you mind if I get a bit more sleep?”

“Not at all,” he said immediately. “I can take you home in the morning.”

“Sure,” she nodded and yawned.

“I’ll get you some breakfast first,” he said sleepily, draping the end of the quilt back over him so they were both covered. “No need for you to go hungry.”

She curled up against him and smiled.


	13. Three Years Too Long: The Between Time (Rated M)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy deals with missing April the only ways he knows how, and none of those ways are particularly healthy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by meet-me-onthe-equinox on tumblr, as a sort of deeper look into the time between Andy and April's break up from my original _"Three Years Too Long"_ AU, in which they are exes who meet up after not speaking for years.
> 
> Warning: alcohol abuse and briefly mentions thoughts of self-harm

Like every morning, the first thing that Andy saw was the dull grey of the ceiling above his bed. He had to blink a few times to adjust to the light. The sun was unnaturally bright today, and like most instances, he was hungover. What day was it? He honestly didn’t know.

The days blurred together like one never-ending nightmare. Minutes ticked by like hours, hours like days, days like weeks. Time didn’t make much sense anymore, but then again, neither did Andy’s life. It didn’t matter, anyway.

He fished for his cell phone in the sheets that hadn’t been changed in months. As he expected, it was well past noon. Luckily it was a Saturday…he doubted he’d have any more customers at the rate he’d been missing work.

Twelve missed calls, all of them from Leslie. Andy groaned and dialed her number.

“Andy!” her voice was loud and concerned. “Where are you?”

“Home,” he replied, his voice dry from lack of use.

“Are you forgetting something?” she said, sounding defeated.

“No?”

Leslie sighed. “Andy, I’ve been at JJ’s for half an hour waiting for you.”

“Shit,” Andy swore softly. “Leslie, I’m so sorry.”

“You forgot our brunch date?”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “I’m sorry, I really am.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line. When she spoke, Leslie sounded calm. Andy was relieved. At least she wasn’t too angry, right?

“Andy,” Leslie said slowly. “Are you hungover?”

Andy shifted, pulling the threadbare blanket over his chest. “Why?”

“Are you?”

“No.”

“Are you lying to me?”

He didn’t say anything.

“Andy?”

“Fine,” he snapped. “Yeah, fine, okay? I’m hungover. You happy?”

“Oh Andy,” Leslie sounded sad. “No, of course I’m not happy! I thought we talked about this…”

Andy rubbed his eyelids, trying to wake himself up more. If he had it his way he’d stay in bed all day. “Listen Leslie,” he said. “I’m sorry. I just…gimme like a half hour and I’ll meet you. Order more waffles or something.”

“I’ve already had four,” she said thoughtfully. “But I supposed I could always go for another.”

“Okay,” he stood up on shaky legs and stretched. “Let me get dressed and I’ll see you soon.”

 

Normally he’d walk to JJ’s. Andy didn’t drive much these days, but since he was already late enough he had no choice. Leslie was already in her favorite booth by the time he arrived, several empty dishes and coffee cups surrounded her, and she was buried behind a newspaper article. When she saw him coming, she folded up the paper and smiled.

“Hey Andy,” she said, gesturing for him to sit down. “I already ordered for you.”

“I’m not hungry,” he said, scratching his beard.

“You’re hungover,” she reminded him. “You need to soak that poison up somehow. They’re bringing you a stack of chocolate chip pancakes…your favorite, remember?”

“Sure,” he breathed out slowly, rubbing his eyes. “Whatever you say, Leslie.”

“Drink some coffee too,” Leslie pushed a cup toward him. He accepted it with a nod.

“So,” Andy took a few sips and looked around. “What’s up?”

Leslie rolled her lips. “I should be asking you that, Andy.”

“Why?”

“Well,” she shrugged. “How are you doing? You weren’t at work yesterday or the day before, and when I talked to you yesterday afternoon you told me you’d meet me here today at noon.”

“Oh,” he said. He didn’t feel like talking right now. He was sort of hoping Leslie would do what she usually does and do enough talking for the both of them, but unfortunately for him, she was in one of her questioning moods. “Yeah, I um…I screwed up…sorry.”

“Andy,” Leslie leaned forward. “Why are you hungover?”

He looked at her. Was this a trick question? “Well, I drank too much.”

“Yes, I understand that,” she rubbed her forehead with her two fingers in frustration. “My question is _why_ did you drink that much? It’s not healthy, and you know it.”

He shrugged.

“Andy—“

They were interrupted as his pancakes arrived, and Andy dove into them right away just to avoid talking. He wasn’t even hungry. Then again, he wasn’t hungry much at all these days, and his quickly shrinking stomach showed for it. None of his clothes fit him anymore.

“Listen,” Leslie said. “Andy, I know you miss her. I get it, I do.”

He glanced up at her briefly before returning to his food. He didn’t want to talk about this.

“But just because she’s…not here…doesn’t mean you have to stop living your life and stop taking care of yourself.”

“She was my life,” Andy said, putting his fork down. “She’s not here. Why should I care about anything else if she was all that mattered?”

“Andy,” Leslie spoke softly. “It’s been nearly a year—“

“Yeah, I know,” he said, a little annoyed. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“I understand,” Leslie closed her eyes. “I’m just saying…I don’t think you’re taking care of yourself. Ben noticed too.”

“I’m fine,” he said firmly.

“Look at you,” she said kindly. “Andy, you look like you haven’t slept in weeks. You’ve got dark circles under your eyes. You’re losing weight, and not in a healthy way. Also, no offense, but when was the last time you showered?”

Andy shrugged. He didn’t know how else to respond. He watched Leslie stare at him, her eyes full of pity and concern. He knew she and Ben must be talking about him behind his back. Not out of anything unkind, but in the way they tended to do when they were both worried. He glanced at his half-eaten pancakes. Suddenly they disgusted him. Stupid things like food start to lose their taste when you’re miserable.

“She changed her number,” he said softly, and Leslie met his stare. “She changed it and she didn’t tell me.”

Leslie looked away. “Yeah,” she sighed. “I know.”

Andy sat up sharply. “What do you mean, ‘you know?’”

“Nothing,” Leslie said quickly, sipping her coffee in a hurry. “Forget it, Andy.”

“No, what are you talking about?” he said. “You talked to her?”

“Andy—“

“She gave you her new number and you talked to her, didn’t you?” He felt like his lungs were contracting. It wasn’t a new feeling…he’d been getting this way a lot in the last year.

Leslie took a deep breath. She looked like she was choosing her words very carefully. “Yes, I did speak to April.”

“When?”

“About a month ago,” she replied. “She called me.”

“She called you?” Andy’s brain hurt. It didn’t make sense. Why would she want to talk to Leslie and not him? Why wouldn’t Leslie tell him sooner? “What did she say?”

“Andy, it would be breaking her trust if I talked about our conversation with you.”

“What about me, huh?” He was getting mad, now. He hated the feeling. “What about my trust? I mean…she left. She _left,_ Leslie. One day she was here, and one day she wasn’t. She didn’t even tell me where she went until she got there.”

“Andy,” Leslie said softly. “I know how hard this is for you. I do. But if April wants to contact you, she will. I mean, she told Ben that—“

_“She fucking talked to Ben?”_

“I—“ Leslie looked embarrassed. “Well, she…she spoke to both of us, actually.”

“When?”

Leslie looked beyond guilty. She couldn’t meet his eyes as she spoke, but in a quiet voice she replied, “When we visited her a couple of weeks ago.”

Andy could feel his stomach churn and the alcohol-pancake mix bubbling up inside. “I can’t believe this,” he shook his head. He pushed his food away and tried to get up.

“Andy please don’t leave,” Leslie pleaded.

“I need to go home,” he said.

“Andy—“

“Leslie, you’re awesome, but right now I don’t want to look at you, okay?”

“Just…please listen to me?” she stood too, gripping him gently on the forearm. “Andy—“

He pulled away and shook his head. “Gotta go, Leslie,” he said. “Thanks for brunch.” He turned and stormed out the door, not bothering to look back.

 

Andy drained the bottle of whiskey. It only took him a couple of hours, and he was pretty sure he could have done it in less time. It didn’t matter either way, because he wasn’t leaving his bed anytime soon.

He lay there naked, fresh out of the shower. Leslie had definitely been right about that…it had been a week or so since his last one and he was starting to smell gross. He glanced over at the other side of the bed. It was cold and empty, the pillows exactly where they were the day he woke up and she was gone.

_Why’d you leave?_

He knew he was just as much to blame. There was no way he’d deny it. He looked at his phone again, at the phone number that no longer worked. Now there was no way he could reach her if he tried. He didn’t know where she lived, he didn’t know where she worked. All he knew was that she was hundreds of miles away and apparently speaking to everyone but him.

Just as he was about to roll over and sleep the rest of the day away, someone started pounding on the door. Andy sat up again, wobbled a bit on weak legs as he stood, and pulled on a pair of boxers. He stumbled his way to the front door and opened it, not bothering to ask who it was first.

Ben and Leslie stood there, the pair of them staring at him with the most disappointed faces he’d ever seen.

“Hi guys,” he slurred, his vision blurring a bit. “W-what’s up?” he leaned against the door for balance. “What’re you doing here, Leslie? I just saw you at JJ’s…”

“Andy, may we come in?” Leslie asked gently.

“Sure,” Andy stepped aside, lost his balance, and fell over. Ben hurried to help him back up.

“Easy buddy,” Ben said. “There we go,” he led him to the couch. “have a seat for a minute.”

Andy stared at them, waiting. The room was spinning.

“Andy,” Leslie said seriously. “You need to stop drinking.”

“Why?”

“Look at you, man,” Ben said. “You’re a mess.”

“So?”

“Andy,” Leslie sighed heavily. “This isn’t you. This isn’t you at all, and think how April would feel if she saw you like this.”

Andy laughed. “April wouldn’t care, because she obviously doesn't want to talk to me anymore. I mean, for all she cares, I can drop dead, right?”

“Don’t say that,” Leslie said. “That’s not true at all.”

“Guys,” Andy said, yawning. “Listen, I’m glad you came to visit. Sorry I don’t have any food. But I gotta go to sleep.”

“We’re not leaving yet,” Ben said firmly. “You need to listen to us, and you need to sober up or you’re gonna do some serious damage to yourself.”

“Ben,” Andy said, trying to sit straight. “For like the thousandth time, I don’t care what happens to me.”

Ben exchanged a glance with Leslie. She nodded at him, and the two of them turned to Andy once more.

“Andy,” Leslie said softly. “Listen to me, okay?”

Andy blinked at her.

“This is very important, so I need you to focus.”

Whatever she was about to say, Andy could tell it was causing her a great deal of anguish. He was almost concerned, but then he remembered that unless Leslie was going to pull April out of the closet in some sort of secret surprise “psych” joke or something, he didn’t care.

“I’m going to give you April’s number. Her new number.”

 _That_ sobered him up a bit.

“Really?” he said, looking from Leslie to Ben.

“Yes,” Leslie nodded. “But there are rules. If she hangs up on you, or says she doesn’t want to speak to you, you need to respect her wishes, okay?”

He nodded slowly.

“If she tells you to stop calling her after this, you stop.”

He nodded again.

“You understand?”

“Yes,” Andy said.

“Ben and I have talked about this, and we decided that we’d rather see you have this chance instead of wasting away like this. You’re scaring us, Andy. We hate seeing you this way.”

Andy couldn’t believe they were doing this for him. “Can you answer me one thing, though?” he said, feeling the nerves making his gut clench.

“Mhm,” Leslie looked at him. “What is it? I’ll try my best to answer you.”

“Is she seeing somebody?” he asked.

Again, Leslie exchanged a look with Ben. Then very slowly, she nodded.

Out of all the things Leslie could have told him, this one hurt the most. He felt as though his heart had been ripped out and stomped on. Then, as if on cue, he stood up and ran to the sink to throw up.

“Andy,” Ben stood up quickly and followed him, while Leslie stared at the ground. “Hey man, it’s okay. It’s okay! You’re fine…” He patted him on the back, retaining a firm grip on his shoulder as Andy coughed up whatever was in his stomach.

“Guys,” Andy breathed heavily, his chest on fire. “I need to be alone for a bit, okay?” He needed to lie down again. He was always needing to lie down these days…

She was with someone. Someone else got to hold her…touch her…kiss her. Someone else who wasn’t him, someone else who wasn’t meant to be with her like he was. Someone who would never have what he and April shared, never in a million years even if they tried. 

“We’re not leaving,” Ben said. “Not until you’re sober again.”

“I’m taking every ounce of alcohol out of this house,” Leslie said, whipping a trash bag out of her purse. “Consider this an intervention of sorts, Andy.”

 

Andy’s heart was pounding. His hand shook as he clutched the little scrap of paper, staring at the number Leslie had written down for him. What if she didn’t want to talk to him? Then again, why would she? He hadn’t heard her voice in nearly a year.

Andy took a deep breath. Slowly, with shaking fingers, he dialed the number. It rang a few times, and for a second Andy wasn’t sure she was going to pick up. Then a click…and April’s voice was on the other line.

“Hello?”

“A-April?”

He could hear her breathing over the line. For a few moments, Andy wasn’t sure she was going to say anything. In fact, he was fully expecting her to hang up on him.

“Hey,” she whispered, after what felt like an eternity. “How did you get this number?”

“Doesn’t matter, does it?” Andy said slowly.

“Guess not,” she replied.

He cleared his throat. “How are you doing?”

“Andy,” she sighed. “why are you calling me?”

Andy scratched his neck. “You changed your number.”

“I know.”

“You changed it and you didn’t tell me, but you gave it to Ben and Leslie.”

“Yeah, I know—“

“They came to see you,” Andy said, feeling as hurt as he sounded. “Why…just…why’d you tell them and not me? I don’t even know where you are, April.”

“You know I’m in DC,” she said slowly.

“I know you’re in DC, yeah,” he said. “But…where are you? Do you have a place to stay? Are you crashing with someone?”

“Why do you care all of a sudden?” From her tone, Andy could tell she was annoyed. He could always tell just by her voice.

“I’ve always cared,” he said. “You know I have.”

“Oh yeah?” she chuckled dryly. “Is that so?”

“April—“

“Why do you have to make this harder than it already is? Why can’t you just let this go? Let _us_ go?”

“You want to let us go?” he said, astounded. “After everything, that’s how this is gonna go?”

“Listen, I don’t want to talk anymore,” she sounded distracted, and Andy had the urge to ask her if she was alone. The only thing was, he wasn’t sure he could handle the truth. “I’ve got to go.”

“Wait!” he all but yelled. Anything to keep her on the phone. “April, please don’t hang up.”

“Goodbye, Andy,” she said.

“I love you,” he blurted out. “I fucking love you, and I miss you…I want—no, fuck that—I need you to come home.” The words burst out of him like an explosion, and he couldn’t stop them.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I’m not coming back home, Andy.”

Then she hung up, and everything that was even close to all right in the world came crashing down on him. Every thought he’d had that maybe he’d get over this, maybe he’d be able to move on, it all faded away like her voice once the line went dead. Andy wanted nothing more than to just drop off the face of the earth because April was gone. He’d lost her once again.

 

“I don’t want to do this, Tom,” Andy said, staring at the large, obnoxiously lit-up sign in the parking lot.

“Come on, man,” Tom said. “You’ll feel so much better. I don’t know the last time you had any sort of action—“

“The Glitter Factory? Really?” Andy groaned. “What makes you think I want any action anyway? Maybe I’m fine.”

“Damn” Tom shook his head and stepped out of the car. “Now I _know_ you haven’t gotten laid since April. No guy who isn’t sexually frustrated would say something like that.”

“I’m not coming in,” Andy said. “And I’m not sexually frustrated.”

“Andy, I know the owner,” Tom pressed. “Even if you don’t get a lap dance or anything, at least come in for some discounted drinks.”

Andy looked at him and sighed. He could use a drink, that was for certain. Maybe he’d be able to salvage something out of this dismal experience after all.

“C’mon man,” Tom pleaded. “Leslie says you need to get out more. Meet new people. This might be exactly what she meant.”

“I doubt it,” Andy said as he got out of the car.

The inside was just as filthy as the last time he’d been there, which was years ago now. The floor was littered with empty plastic cups and cigarette butts…and glitter. Millions and millions of glitter particles covered every surface everywhere. Middle-aged men sat in chairs, eyes fixed on the catwalk where a “show” of sorts was currently taking place, while other patrons were seated at tables where scantily clad waitresses took their orders.

“C’mon,” Tom led Andy over to a booth that was roped off and ushered him into a seat. “Anything you want man, on me.”

“Thanks,” Andy said.

“What’ll you have?” a busty brunette waitress approached them, eyeing Andy like a lion eyes a steak.

“Triple whiskey,” Andy said, not bothering to make eye-contact.

“I’ll have an apple martini,” Tom said. “And uh…bring a few of your friends over when you get the chance,” he added, in hushed undertones.

She walked away, leaving the two of them to the uncomfortable silence.

“So,” Tom said, clearing his throat. “What’s new, man?”

Andy looked at his friend with a blank expression. “Nothing, Tom,” he said. “absolutely nothing.”

“Well, that’s okay,” Tom shrugged. “No one said you had to be busy all the time.” He tapped his fingers on the table. “Leslie said you’re taking a little break from work?”

“Yeah,” Andy nodded.

“Well, that’s good, right?”

“I guess.”

The waitress returned with their drinks, and several of her friends. Tom’s eyes lit up, and he quickly looked over at Andy to see if he felt the same way. He didn’t. Instead, he downed the whiskey in one hit.

“What’s your name?” the brunette waitress asked, sliding her hand across the back of Andy’s shoulders. “I haven’t seen you here before…” She walked around them and sat in his lap, and everything hit Andy at once. He felt sweaty and dizzy.

“I’m sorry,” he said, standing up quickly and nearly knocking her off him. “I can’t—I’ve gotta go.”

“Andy,” Tom stood up too. “We just got here!”

“I’m sorry, Tom,” Andy said, starting to shake. “I’ve got to go.” He turned and left the building, walking fast until he reached the street. Then, he ran and ran…until he got home and collapsed into bed.

 

It was another half a year before Andy heard from April again. He was up early—too early, because insomnia doesn’t quit—flipping through television channels without really watching anything. He heard the cell phone ringing, but he typically ignored calls these days. In fact, he’d taken a lengthy hiatus from shoe shining at Leslie’s request, so he didn’t do much of _anything_ lately. He only picked it up because the phone was right next to him. Otherwise he’d have let it ring.

“Hello?” he said, not bothering to look at the number.

“Hey.”

He froze. Surely it wasn’t her.

“Um,” he cleared his throat. “April?”

“Yeah,” she said softly. “It’s me.”

“What’s…going on?” _Really Dwyer?_ He hated himself for sounding like such an idiot.

“I was just calling because…you know, today and everything.”

“What’s today?” he asked, confused.

“Andy,” she said, sounding sad. “It’s your birthday.”

“It is?” He’d totally forgotten. Not that it mattered anymore, but…still.

“Andy,” April sighed. “Oh my God…”

“Hon—April,” he corrected himself quickly. “Birthdays are lame, okay? It’s no big deal. I don’t care.” How far deep into this mess of a life had he gotten that he couldn’t remember his birthday? 

“Listen,” she said, ignoring his last comment and continuing. “I—I’m in Pawnee for one night.”

Andy’s heart thumped. “Oh…um…all right.”

“I was wondering if you wanted to meet up somewhere.”

He couldn’t believe this was the conversation they were having, let alone the fact that they were actually having a conversation. Last time she’d spoken to him, it had ended with her hanging up on him and Andy near hospitalization as a result. That was the closest he'd ever come to harming himself, and if it weren't for Ben and Leslie, he hated to think what might have happened. He had to make this count.

“Did you want to meet here?” Andy looked around at the house. It was a complete mess, but she never cared much about that stuff.

“No,” she said. “Let’s meet at Ramsett Park instead.”

_Ramsett Park?_

“Okay,” he shrugged.

“Tonight at eight?”

“Absolutely,” Andy said.

“See you then.”

 

He got there too early. That was probably because he was way too eager to see her, but whatever…it didn’t matter to him that he had to wait. So he passed the time by hanging out on a park bench, watching some kids vandalizing some trash bins far off in the distance.

He saw the headlights of a car pull up near the road, and when the car switched off he knew it had to be her. He stood quickly, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He could feel a cold sweat dripping down his back. He wished he’d showered that day.

Slowly, April emerged from the vehicle. She walked carefully, closer and closer until he could see her face clearly. It was like a fire had been lit in his chest…like something had switched on that had been off for far too long. His heart beat too quickly, and his limbs suddenly went numb. It wasn’t until she was right in front of him that he regained some control.

“Hi,” she grinned shyly at him, tiny in her large sweatshirt with the sleeves pulled down low over her hands and her hood up. She looked the same to him, and he was glad her time away from Pawnee hadn’t her changed too much.

“Hi,” he smiled at her.

Slowly, they pulled each other into a gentle hug. Andy wanted to squeeze her, lift her high up into air and spin her around. But that’s what boyfriends do, and he wasn’t her boyfriend anymore. When they broke apart seconds later, April stared up at him with large, sad eyes.

“Happy birthday,” she said.

“Thank you,” he replied. “Did you…come all the way to Pawnee just to wish me a happy birthday?”

“No…”

“I mean, don’t get me wrong,” he laughed. “I’m cool with that.”

“I came home to visit my parents,” she said. “but I thought I could make a pit stop. My flight leaves tomorrow morning.”

“I’m glad you did,” he said honestly.

April looked him up and down. “You look different,” she said. “You lost so much weight…”

“Yeah, well,” he shrugged.

“You look tired.”

“I don’t sleep much,” he said.

“Neither do I,” she said.

They continued to stare at each other. April rolled her lips, occasionally looking toward the ground. Finally, Andy had to ask.

“Why are you really here, April?”

“I told you, I—“

“No, I know,” he said. “My birthday and all that…but last time I talked to you, you hung up on me and didn’t want anything to do with me.”

“I know.”

“So why are you suddenly calling me to meet up at Ramsett Park in the dark?”

April crossed her arms. She wouldn’t look at him. “I was talking to Leslie…”

“Oh,” Andy sighed.

“She told me you haven’t been doing all that well.”

“Well, I’m not really,” he said truthfully.

“She told me you haven’t been eating…and you’re drinking too much.”

“You came to check on me?” he said. “That’s what this is, right?”

“Well, sort of,” she said. “I mean, I wanted to make sure you’re not like, dying or anything.”

Andy laughed bitterly. “Only on the inside,” he said.

“That’s not funny,” she said, frowning.

He shrugged. It was to him, at least. “You look beautiful,” he said.

April rolled her eyes. “Andy,” she reached up, and cupped his cheek. Andy’s skin burned under her touch. He hadn’t felt her in over a year. Slowly, he placed his hand on top of hers. “You need to take care of yourself. Okay? It doesn’t matter what’s going on between us, but you need to stop doing whatever you’re doing and—”

“You know what yesterday was, right?” he interrupted.

“What?”

“Yesterday,” he pressed. “the date.”

“No.”

“Yes, you do.”

“Andy…”

“It was supposed to be our due date.”

April took a deep breath in, and then he could see the tears in the corners of her eyes. He knew she knew…he knew she wasn’t just calling him because of his birthday. Andy liked to think that was it, but she knew as well as he did that the day before was supposed to be the day their lives changed for the better. Instead, it stared at him on the calendar like a horrible reminder that awesome things don’t away work out in the end. He drank himself to sleep that night just to stop thinking about it.

“Not exactly the way we thought we’d be spending today, is it?” he said softly.

April looked at him, pursing her lips. “No,” she whispered, moving closer. “It’s not…and it sucks.”

“Yeah it does.”

She looked up at him, and he looked down at her, and they moved at once. The kiss that started as a light, soft press of lips turned into something much more, much quicker than either of them could have anticipated. Andy ran his hand through her hair and down her neck, pulling her closer to him.

Everything in his body felt nourished. It was like rain after a decades-long drought. It consumed him, filled him, made him feel better than he’d had in far too long. April didn’t seem to mind either. Her arms snaked around his neck and she kept letting out these little sounds, little breaths of air that sounded like a mixture of sighs and groans. Whatever it was, it was beautiful to him.

Andy moved his lips down her neck and stayed there for a bit, kissing her cold skin. He unzipped her hoodie and pulled the neckline of her shirt to the side for better access. All the while, April gripped his shoulders, kissing his forehead in tiny, little presses of lips.

Then just as quickly as it started, April pulled away from him like he feared she would, breathing too quickly. She hid her face in her hands and walked in a circle, shaking her head.

“April,” Andy said, reaching out for her, but she pulled away.

“That was a mistake,” she said, over and over. “That wasn’t supposed to happen—“

“It’s okay,” Andy tried to tell her, because it _was_ okay. It was fine. How could he prove to her how okay it was?

“It’s not!” she yelled. “Andy, I’m seeing someone! This wasn’t okay!”

Just like that, the happiness he’d felt a moment ago was gone. It had deflated before he'd even had a chance to feel completely like himself again.

“I'm sorry,” he said miserably. 

“I shouldn't have come here,” she said quickly. “This is why I couldn’t meet you at the house…because I was afraid something like this was going to happen.” She looked up at him and shook her head. “I'm sorry, Andy. I have to go.” She turned and started toward her car. 

“No, no, April, wait—“ Andy followed, reaching for her. April pushed his hand away. 

“I'm sorry,” she said again.

“Please April,” Andy sounded small. He didn't sound like himself. His voice was full of desperation and self-loathing. “Please don’t go. Don’t leave again, babe…”

She only shook her head as she got into the driver’s seat. For a moment, Andy thought about literally throwing himself in front of the car to stop her, but then she was pulling away before he’d made up his mind.

He watched the car drive away, turning at the entrance of the park before heading down the street. He couldn’t understand how this had gone from the best he’d felt in over a year to the worst day of his life all over again.

Just like that…he blew it. He called Ben and Leslie and told them where he was. Told them to come get him, because he couldn't move, couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t believe he’d let her walk away again. Now, for the first time in over a year, Andy truly believed he’d never get her back.


	14. Co-Stars and Secret Lovers (Rated T)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what it sounds like! Lovers on set and lovers in secret. ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by anotheropti on tumblr! :D

_“Cut!_ Good, Andy, good…let’s try that one again. This scene is _literally_ the most important of the entire movie."

Andy rolled onto his back again for the twentieth time that afternoon, poised above the animatronic vehicle that was constructed to appear as though it was about to fall on him. The set lights were staring to make him sweat more than was necessary for the scene, and before the director yelled “action!” the makeup artist appeared out of the corner of the background to dab at his face.

Luckily, it was the twentieth time that was the charm. He shot the scene. His character—Burt Macklin, Special Agent for the FBI—would live to see another day, having narrowly avoided the explosion and falling vehicles. Then, he retreated to his trailer for lunch.

_“Well, well,”_ the smooth, accented female voice greeted him before he was even able to flip on the light switch. “Macklin survived the bomb, I see.”

Andy smiled to himself before turning around. “He did indeed, Ms. Snakehole. Nice try, by the way. You’ll never kill me.”

The short, dark-haired woman smiled, before she stood up and flung her arms around his shoulders. Andy spun her around before kissing her hard on the mouth.

“About damn time,” she laughed, all traces of the thick, feigned accent gone. “I’ve been waiting here forever.”

“Sorry,” Andy sighed, placing her back on her feet. “Chris was taking forever with the damn scene. I didn’t think it would take that long.”

“Traeger is insane,” she shook her head. “He told me I needed to practice for my part later this afternoon. _Practice,_ Andy. Do you know what the scene is? I have to be ‘sleeping’ on a couch. _Sleeping,” _she rolled her eyes.__

__“Why April Ludgate,” he said in mock disappointment, “who’d have thought you’d need to practice doing nothing?”_ _

__“Hey,” she nudged his chest. “Low blow.”_ _

__Andy laughed, turning to grab two beers from his fridge. He handed one to April and she accepted it, rolling her lips the way he secretly loved. They sat sipping the cool beverages for a few minutes, the tiny trailer air conditioner doing little to quell the summer heat. Then April cleared her throat and looked up at him._ _

__“Um, so, there is one thing I wanted to bring up with you,” she said slowly._ _

__“Yeah?” Andy took another drink and wiped his mouth with his hand. “What’s up?” He stared at her, and she looked nervous. “You okay?”_ _

__“Well, you know how we’re filming that Snakehole Mansion scene tomorrow afternoon?”_ _

__“Yup,” Andy nodded._ _

__“Well,” April tapped the bottle with her fingers, the dull _tap tap tap_ of her nail hitting the glass loud in his ears. “I’m also filming that other scene we talked about.”_ _

__Andy froze for a moment, nausea hitting him quickly. “I thought they said we weren’t doing that scene?”_ _

__“Chris changed his mind,” she shrugged. “He said we needed it after all.”_ _

__Andy grumbled, downing half his beer in one gulp. He could feel April watching him, trying to figure out what to say. It wasn’t her fault at all. In fact, he shouldn’t even care so much about this type of thing because what they were doing was technically against the rules. Well, director Chris Traeger’s rules, at least._ _

__No, he did not want to watch his secret girlfriend film a sex scene with another guy, okay? If that made him unreasonable, then so be it._ _

__“This sucks,” he said, with a heavy sigh. “Really, it _totally_ sucks.”_ _

__“Yeah,” she put down her beer and walked over, climbing into his lap. “I know.” She wrapped her arms around his chest._ _

__“I shouldn’t get so annoyed by this, right?” Andy said. “It’s just a scene…it’s not real.”_ _

__“No, it’s not real at all,” she shook her head. _“This_ is real. Right now, you and me, and everything else is stupid.”_ _

__“Yeah,” he smiled as April kissed him. The knot in his stomach was still there, but at least it had loosened up a bit for the time being. Andy guessed that was the best he could hope for._ _


	15. Too Far Apart (Rated T)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *I just realized I posted this chapter under the wrong fic. This is definitely not an AU, but oh well...haha*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested anonymously on tumblr  
> Prompt: _I thought you were dead._

April was shocked to wake up to twelve missed calls on her cell phone early one Saturday morning. Ten of them were from Leslie and two of them were from some foreign number she didn’t recognize.

Why was Leslie calling her? She knew not to bother April on the weekends. Especially weekends when she was busy missing her husband while he was overseas working in London…way too far away from her.

She stretched her arm out over his empty side of the bed, hoping to feel that phantom warmth his body left behind, but of course there was nothing. Just a slight indent from where his much larger body always slept and one of his flannels she’d taken to sleeping with over the last two months.

With a groan, April reached for her cell phone and listened to the voice mail Leslie left behind. Judging by the time stamp, this was after she’d made her nearly a dozen calls, all of them dated from the five to six in the morning hour.

_“April, I don’t know why you won’t pick up your phone but you need to call me back. I didn’t want to have to tell you this through a voice message but I guess I have no choice. There was an accident—An-“_

The voice message cut out to static, and then there was nothing. Panic flared up in April’s chest and she sat up quickly, making a sleeping Champion jump at the foot of her bed and lift his head in alarm. Andy…Leslie was going to say Andy’s name. Something happened to him.

 _“Oh my God,”_ she muttered, throwing on some clothes. She tied her hair back in a messy ponytail and punched in Leslie’s number. It rang several times before the other woman picked up.

“April—“

“Leslie,” April nearly sobbed, looking for her shoes. “What’s wrong? What happened to Andy? Your stupid voicemail cut out and…and I couldn’t hear you—“

“April take a breath,” Leslie said sternly. “Breathe, okay?”

“Leslie, what happened to him?” Real tears were falling down her cheeks now, and she was shaking uncontrollably. She’d had nightmares like this where something horrible happened to him while he was gone, but she’d always woken up from those.

“He’s okay,” Leslie said quickly. “It was minor, okay? It was a stupid little accident at an event hosted by Edgar Covington…you know, Andy’s new boss? I guess there was something involving a golf cart and a marble statue…Ben didn’t get all the information yet. Anyway, the hospital tried to call you and they couldn't reach you, so they called the next person on Andy’s emergency contact. That was me.”

The foreign number on her phone suddenly made sense. April was trying hard not to lose it, trying to digest this new information. Andy was apparently okay, although he _was_ in the hospital. That sucked, but he was alive and that was most important.

“What…h-how is he?” April stammered. 

“He’s doing fine,” Leslie said. “Just a small concussion, and he’s staying overnight for observation.”

April checked the clock. It was eight in the morning, which meant it was two in the afternoon in London. “I need to talk to him,” she said. “I need to call him…”

“Don’t worry,” Leslie assured her. “I told them you’d be in contact with them as soon as I was able to reach you. I have the number for you to call.”

April nodded, even though Leslie couldn’t see her. She scrambled for a scrap of paper and a pen to write the number down. She could feel her nerves reacting on overdrive…short circuiting inside her with a strange mix of worry and relief. She knew she needed to talk to Andy and that would take the edge off, if not just to hear that he was okay with her own ears.

“Everything will be fine,” Leslie promised her, after she’d given her the number. “Call the hospital, tell them who you are, and once you talk to Andy you’ll feel better, okay? If you want I can come over later—”

“No,” April said quickly. “Thanks anyway. Really Leslie…thanks.” She hung up and dialed the number.

It took talking to several people on the other end before they understood who she was and why she was calling. She’d even yelled at a few of them to the point of making one of them angry with her in return, but April didn’t care. She needed to hear Andy’s voice. Finally, after what felt like forever, a groggy voice picked up.

“H-hello?”

“Babe?” April broke down in tears the moment she heard him. Clutching the flannel shirt to her chest, she curled up in a ball on her bed and let her cheeks soak the pillowcase.

“Honey,” he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. “I was wondering when they’d reach you…”

“Oh my God, Andy…I’m so sorry babe,” she sniffed. “I didn’t know, I…just…are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said softly. “I’m fine. I’m in a London hospital, which is pretty cool. I mean, they all talk funny here…”

“What happened to you?” she asked.

“I don’t really remember,” he said. “I was driving Eddie’s golf cart and the next thing I knew I hit one of the statues in his garden…and it sorta fell on my head.”

“Andy…”

“Yeah, then I woke up in this bed.”

April took a deep breath, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve. “I wish I was there with you,” she said miserably. “Fuck…I hate that you’re there.”

“I hate it too,” he said sleepily. “I wish I was home. I miss you so much.”

“One more stupid month,” she sighed, her voice catching on the intake of breath.  
“Are you crying?” he asked. “Baby, it’s okay—“

“I’m fine,” she said quickly. "I'm just being dumb, it’s nothing…”

“April…”

He was right, as usual. Even over the damn phone he could read her like a book. She’d nearly lost it and she hadn’t even known what had happened to him. All she needed to know was that something _had_ happened. There was some type of accident, and she started to spiral. Maybe it was because of the fact that he was just so far away and unreachable. Even their phone calls cost a ton of money, so they tried their best to stick to Skype and e-mails. It just sucked in every single way, and as much as she was happy Andy was branching out and trying something challenging like this, a tiny part of her wished she could turn back the clock and persuade him to stay in Pawnee with her. Then whenever that thought crossed her mind she’d feel guilty for being selfish, and she’d push the thought to the back of her head.

“I got scared, okay?” she muttered.

“Of what, honey?”

“I thought something happened to you!” she said, her voice rising slightly. “I thought you were dead!”

“Dead?” Andy chuckled.

“It’s not funny,” she said bitterly. “You have no idea about the kinds of nightmares I’ve been having.”

“Hey, hey,” Andy said, lowering his voice to a more calming volume. “April, I’m sorry…I’m not laughing at you, I promise. I just want you to understand that I’m okay!”

“I wish you were home,” she said, then much more softly, “Come home.”

There was a pause on the other end before Andy took a deep breath. “I love you, April.”

“Love you too,” she said stiffly.

“I wish I could stay on the phone all night, honey,” he said. “but they’re telling me I need to hang up now and try to rest a bit.”

“Andy,” she said quickly. “feel better. Okay?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, I promise.”

Then he hung up, and the line was dead. April pulled the heavy comforter over herself and rolled over so she was on his side of the bed, burying her face in his pillow to try to get even the slightest whiff of his scent. It didn’t totally work, but it was enough to calm her. He was okay. He was safe.


	16. Three Years Too Long: The Between Time II (Rated M)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place right where the last part of this leaves off, from April's POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For meet-me-onthe-equinox, who deserves a million wonderful fics! <3

The most annoying thing about April’s cell phone ringing at nearly six in the morning was that it was only ten minutes before her alarm was set to go off. She had everything planned out. She’d stick around to say bye to her parents and Natalie, she’d grab a quick breakfast, and she’d be off to catch her nine in the morning plane back to Washington DC.

So, in many ways she wished she’d never answered. In several smaller, more important ways, she was glad she did.

Leslie’s number flashed across the screen as April picked up. “Hello?”

“April?”

“Yeah?” April groaned. “What’s up Leslie?”

“I’m sorry to bother you like this,” the older woman said, and April could hear a strange beeping noise in the background. “But I felt like I needed to call you…um…I thought you might want to know.”

“Know what?” A strange feeling was creeping its way up her spine, and she felt like whatever Leslie was going to tell her wasn’t good.

“It’s Andy,” Leslie said softly. “He’s in the hospital.”

April felt that bolt of nerves right in her gut, and she sat up in bed. “Why? What happened to him?”

“Well,” Leslie continued, and April could hear other voices in the background now. “I guess after you guys talked at Ramsett Park last night he got pretty upset.”

April couldn’t tell for sure, but she thought she could sense an accusatory tone in the way Leslie was speaking to her. She tried not to dwell on it. “He called you?”

“He called Ben and me, yes,” Leslie said. “He was having a panic attack, and he needed us to get him because he’s been walking everywhere instead of driving and he needed a ride. He walked all the way to the park entrance, and I guess he was so worked up he didn’t notice the car coming. It was dark, so the driver didn’t see him either. It hit him from behind, and he’s lucky because he somehow only ended up with a broken arm.”

April felt sick. This was her fault, and she knew it. “I—I don’t know what to do, Leslie…my plane leaves in a few hours—“

“I understand,” Leslie said quickly. “I just thought you might want to know.” She paused and said something muffled to someone in the room with her. “Listen, I have to go. The doctor needs to speak with me.”

“Oh…okay,” April stood now, pacing her room. 

“Have a good flight, April,” Leslie said. “I’ll talk to you soon, okay? I’ll keep you updated on Andy. Unless of course you don’t want me to—“

“No, I do,” April said quickly. “I do.”

Leslie hung up, and April grabbed the nearest pillow and screamed into it.

 

April was sweating as she sped down the highway. She should have just kept going when she was driving toward the airport. She should have never turned around. Now she was turning into the hospital parking garage and her plane was already long gone.

She texted Leslie as soon as she parked, asking for the room number so she wouldn’t have to speak to any annoying receptionist or nurses and could just rush to where she needed to be. No one so much as asked her where she was hurrying to, and when she saw Leslie pacing the hallway she exhaled sharply.

The blonde woman looked up from her phone when she saw April and rushed forward to hug her. April didn’t even try to pull away. “April,” she said. “thanks for coming.”

“Yeah, whatever,” April said stiffly, rubbing at her eyes. “How is he?”

“He’s out cold,” Leslie said, gesturing inside the room. “He was in a lot of pain so they gave him plenty of morphine. Probably too much, to be honest.”

“So he won’t know I’m here?” April asked.

Leslie gave her a sad smile. “I doubt it,” she said.

“Okay,” April bit her lip. “This doesn’t change anything. I’m still leaving. I’m just gonna book a later plane—“

“I know,” Leslie nodded kindly.

Without another word, April entered the room. Andy was fast asleep, his arms limp on top of the sheets and his head lolled to the side. A fresh white cast covered his right arm from his wrist to his elbow. His mouth was slightly open, and if she wasn’t there for such a serious reason she might’ve smiled a little at the sight.

She sat in the nearest chair and pulled it as close as she could to the hospital bed. “Hey,” she whispered. Her voice was hoarse, but she had a feeling it had to do with the fact that she had no idea what she could possibly say to him. “Andy…um…” she looked up at the door and Leslie was pacing the hallway, talking on her cell phone. “I'm so sorry this happened to you,” she said softly. “I didn't…I mean, I just…”

Andy took a sudden deep breath, startling her a bit. He didn't wake up, but turned his head to the other side.

“What happened to us?” she whispered. Gently, she took his hand and held it, her long, cold fingers curling over his large warm ones. Even fast asleep like this, morphine-induced and out cold, he was soft and warm. “I was supposed to be on a plane back home now,” she continued. “I was supposed to forget about you. Now you're here, and I can't stop thinking about you. I can't stop thinking about yesterday.”

She _couldn't_ stop. From the moment their lips met in the middle of that pitch black park, she felt that familiar heat bubbling up, that feeling of safety and happiness and love that had been shoved away and nearly buried over the past year and a half. Everything ran through her mind, but unfortunately that meant even the bad stuff. Then suddenly it went from amazing to like some nightmare come to life.

“I wanted that baby just as much as you did, you know,” she said, her voice faltering a little. “Maybe it didn’t seem like it, but I was excited too.” She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. “You have no idea what it was like waking up in the middle of the night bleeding like that…scared out of my mind, knowing what happened but not wanting to hear that it’s true. Knowing that a kid died inside me and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.”

She didn’t want to believe it. Not until they were at the hospital and the doctor had looked at her with all the sadness and pity in the world. She’d somehow managed to hold it together until they’d made it home, and then she’d sobbed into Andy’s arms in the privacy of their bedroom.

“I keep thinking about what would’ve happened if I’d never gotten pregnant,” she said, running her finger over his knuckles. “Would we still have fought about it? Would we still be together?” She looked up and Leslie was standing just outside the door, no longer on the phone. April knew she was trying to give them privacy. “I’m still leaving, Andy,” she whispered. “I need to go back to DC. You’re gonna be fine, I know you are.” She stood. “Please take care of yourself,” she leaned over and kissed his forehead, lingering there for a few seconds too long.

Leslie joined her then, putting her purse down in the now empty chair beside the bed. “You’re leaving now?”

April nodded. “I need to go home.”

“This is your home, April,” Leslie sighed, rubbing her forehead. “He needs you.”

“No, he doesn’t,” April bit back suddenly. “He doesn’t need me because he has you, and he has Ben and Ron and everyone back at Parks.” She shouldered her bag. “I don’t need to stay, okay? He’s gonna be fine without me.”

“He doesn’t eat anymore,” Leslie said softly, not meeting April’s stare. “He’s wasting away, he’s miserable and lonely.”

“That’s not my fault,” April pointed out. Damn Leslie for making her feel guilty like this. She had no right to. “Real shitty of you to say something like that,” she hissed softly.

The blonde’s eyes widened, and she stared at April with a hard, unflinching look. “April, I’m telling you what I’ve seen. I thought you at least cared about him enough to want to know these things. Do you know what he said when we found him on the side of the road, holding his broken arm?”

April didn’t respond.

“He said that…he said he wished the car had killed him,” Leslie shook her head. “I’m afraid to leave him alone because I’m afraid of what he’ll do.”

April looked over at Andy, horrified by the things she was hearing. She wasn’t his keeper, she wasn’t even his wife. They’d discussed marriage plenty of times but never got around to it before everything hit the fan. She cared for him, it was true. But she needed to take care of herself too.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I need to go, okay? Leslie,” she looked the older woman straight in the eye, “please promise me you’ll look after him. Please?”

Leslie sighed. She glanced at Andy, still fast asleep. Then she looked over at April. “Of course,” she said softly. “Nothing is going to happen to him, okay? Ben and I will make sure of that.”

April nodded, feeling slightly relieved. She hugged Leslie briefly, even against her internal voice screaming at her not to, and headed toward the door.

“But April?” Leslie called out to her before she stepped into the hallway.

“Yeah?”

“You can’t come see him anymore,” Leslie said seriously. “You can’t keep messing with him by showing up or calling him out of the blue. Not until he’s over this. Okay?”

April was about to tell Leslie she could do whatever she liked, but then she remembered that this woman was doing her the most important favor in the world. So instead, she only nodded.

“I won’t,” she assured her. “I promise.”

 

_Six months later…_

April woke up shaking, the sheets beneath her drenched in sweat.

The bedside table wasn’t hers. The alarm clock was different. The mattress wasn’t soft like she was used to. The arm around her waist wasn’t warm. It took her a few moments to realize where she was.

She panicked, and her quickening breaths started to make her dizzy. She scrambled out of the bed and looked at the sleeping man who’d been beside her.

They’d met a month earlier at work. His name was Eduardo—Eddie—and he was nice to her from the beginning. He’d been assigned to her at the Foundation, and she’d helped him find a job here since his move from Venezuela a few weeks prior. Then she’d been surprised when he called her again, this time asking her out for drinks. She’d accepted and they'd been seeing each other on and off ever since.

This was the first time she’d spent the night at his place. He wasn't allowed to stay over at hers. Even though it’d been nearly two years since she'd been with Andy, the idea of another man in her bed freaked her out. Apparently this did too.

“Fuck…fuck, fuck,” she mumbled to herself, trying to come down from the shaking. It was two in the morning and she was hungover. There was no way she could drive home. Instead, she wrapped herself in a blanket and went out into the living room to curl up on the couch.

It only took April a few minutes to realize she couldn’t sleep, so she looked for ways to distract herself. She took out her phone and checked the messages. Nothing…not a single one… Maybe it was hypocritical, but sometimes she wished he still messaged her.

_No,_ she thought. _That’s not fair to him…_

Tom had told her that Andy had started dating again. The news felt like a punch to her insides, but at the same time it was his right to do whatever he pleased. There was no way she’d expect him to stay single forever. It just wouldn’t make sense. Someone like Andy needed love in his life and whoever he chose to get it from, well, that was his business.

That didn’t stop her from asking Tom a million questions when he came to visit her, though.

“What’s she like?” April had asked casually, trying to appear uninterested.

“She’s okay personality-wise,” Tom shrugged. “Super hot, though…I guess they met at the gym or whatever.”

_Andy goes to the gym now?_

“The gym?” April frowned. “Since when does he go there?”

“Well, since he’s been losing all that weight,” Tom said slowly, “Leslie and Ben have been really worried about him. After he got out of the hospital with the broken arm, he started to take care of himself again. He didn’t want to gain all that weight back so he started working out. It’s like therapy for him, I guess.”

April nodded slowly. It was true, the last time she’d seen Andy outside of the hospital, the last time they’d talked, he was thin. Too thin.

“Well,” she’d sighed. “That’s great, I guess.”

“Oh come on,” Tom had thrown his arms up in the air in annoyance. “You can’t tell me this whole break up thing is gonna last…”

“Tom—“

“You guys are meant to be together, and I don’t typically care about other people’s relationships.”

Then he’d left, and April went to bed that night thinking of Andy lying with someone else. Laughing with someone else…holding someone else…loving someone else…and she’d felt worse in that moment than she’d ever had in her whole life.

So now, as she stared at the blank phone screen in front of her, the first teardrop fell and hit the screen with a wet splash. Then another…and another…until she eventually cried herself to sleep.


	17. Unplanned: Part 3 (Rated T)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The third and final part of my "one-night stand/unplanned pregnancy" AU!

“He kicked.”

 _“Huh?”_ Andy’s sleepy voice answered her.

“He keeps kicking…” April sat up in bed, breathing hard. It was bad enough these days that her huge belly made it difficult to get comfortable, let alone actually sleep. Now, she had to deal with the constant kicks all over. The constant pressure on her bladder meant she was always getting up to pee, and the pressure against her ribs did nothing but elevate her heartburn. Frankly, April was done with being pregnant. “He won’t stop, Andy…”

“Okay,” Andy yawned and sat up a little, trying to help her back down. With a sleepy smile, his hand grazed against the spot on her stomach where April felt the most pressure. “Woah, yeah, he’s pretty active tonight! How awesome is that?”

“Yeah, easy for you to say,” April grunted in frustration. “It was awesome the first time, and maybe even the second and third time too. Now it’s annoying.”

“You’re right,” Andy gave her a sympathetic smile. “C’mon, April…you need to rest, babe.”

Oh, how she loved when he called her that. She’d never admit it, but it was amazing. It made her feel loved, and weirdly secure, and every other time she'd melt into his words and reflect that this all started because of a one-night stand in a parking lot. Now though, she was too annoyed to enjoy it.

“Andy,” she half sighed, half sobbed. “I can’t sleep because this little hellion wont stop twisting around in there…this sucks.”

She could hear Andy grunt a little as he readjusted himself. Carefully, he guided her back down, turning her so all her weight was against him with her back flush against his stomach. 

“Better?” he asked.

“Y-yeah,” she muttered. “I guess so.”

Andy kissed the back of her neck. “Sleep.”

Andy had all but moved in with her. Things moved fairly quickly after her stay in the hospital, but it was for the better. Lucy didn’t seem to mind, but then again, she was spending a lot more time with her boyfriend Tom at his place lately. She promised April it had nothing to do with Andy staying with them, but April knew Lucy had walked in on them naked a few too many times to fully believe her.

They were together now in every sense of the word.

“Aren’t you scared?” April asked drowsily. The warmth of Andy’s chest was too good. It was like she had her very own furnace every night, and she often fell asleep pressed up against him as close as possible.

“Of what?” he began to stroke up and down her arm, from her shoulder to her wrist.

“That we’re gonna have a kid to take care of in less than two months?”

“I used to be,” he said softly. “I’m not anymore.”

Weirdly enough, that simple answer calmed her. 

 

It was hard to work these days. Running Animal Control required her to be on her feet more often than she’d like, and now she was slower than ever.

Around her eighth month Andy was starting to pester her daily about starting maternity leave.

“I think it's time to talk to Leslie,” he said, watching April struggle to get around the apartment. “I mean, look at you—“ 

“Look at what?” she snapped. Her anger was quick to flare up these days. She wasn’t comfortable in the slightest and everything ached. She took another heavy step forward, trying to squeeze between the couch and the chair but failed miserably. Instead, she grabbed a nearby pillow and screamed into it.

“Hey, babe, it’s okay—“

“Andy, I swear to _God_ if you tell me ‘it’s okay’ one more time I’m going to gut you!”

He smirked a little and scratched his neck. “You know, you're so sexy when—“

“If you say another thing about how sexy I am when I’m angry I’ll _still_ gut you,” she warned him.

“Okay, fair enough,” he nodded quickly. “I'm sorry.”

“I don’t want to call Leslie right now,” April said. “I just want to lie on the couch and watch stupid tv shows, okay?”

“Sure,” he said, moving the furniture over so she could squeeze through the gap. “C’mon, I’ll sit with you.”

As they sat there, a million things ran through her mind. They needed a bigger place, for one. They didn't even have a nursery. That meant eventually breaking the news to Lucy that April would need to move out. 

She wasn't sure how her best friend would take the news. They'd lived together for three years now, and it felt a little like April was abandoning her. Even before Andy, Lucy was there. She decided she'd worry about it later, though…because right then Andy was ridiculously comfortable. 

 

That same night, their baby decided he’d had enough too.

“Shit,” April sat up quickly, clutching her belly. The pain shot through her like a knife, catching her completely off guard. It took a moment for her to realize she was sitting on a soaked mattress. “Oh my God…”

“What’s wrong?” Andy mumbled sleepily beside her. “Babe?”

“I—I’m all wet—“

“What?”

“I think…my water broke,” she said shakily. “Fuck,” she winced at another pain. “Andy—“

Andy sat up and seemed to come out of whatever sleepiness had overtaken him. His eyes went wide. “W-what?”

“I need to go to the hospital, Andy,” she started to panic, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. “We have to leave like right now—“

“Hold on,” he said, scrambling up and turning on the bedside light. “Are you sure?”

She groaned, squeezing her eyes tight. “I’m pretty damn sure…”

“Okay, okay,” Andy kissed the side of her head and started fumbling around for clothes. It’s okay, we’ll be fine—we’ll be—“

“Andy, he’s a month early,” she said softly, and she knew there had to be fear in her eyes. “We don't have everything ready! We're not packed, we…oh my God, this can't happen right now…”

Andy stopped to cup her cheeks with both hands, gently leaning in to kiss her. “Hey,” he said. “Everything will be okay, all right?”

She nodded. It was all she _could_ do because the contractions just kept on coming.

 

“Oh, you’re definitely in labor, Ms. Ludgate,” Dr. Saperstein said happily, lifting his head after examining her in the emergency room. “You’re about five centimeters dilated. Five more and we can start pushing.”

“How long will that take?” she asked, on her back in the bed, clutching Andy’s hand like her life depended on it.

“Oh, could be an hour, could be twelve hours. There’s no way of knowing,” he shrugged. “We just have to wait.”

“Doctor, um,” Andy looked at him nervously. “Is it okay if he’s early?”

“We’ll monitor him for a while and keep watch for signs of stress,” Dr. Saperstein said. “Should be fine for now.”

“Andy,” April was breathing hard, panic flaring up. “I can’t do this…it hurts too much.” She'd been pretty firm about powering through this without pain medicine. It wasn't that she was trying to be tough—honestly, childbirth scared the shit out of her—but she hated needles, and the idea of being bedridden with a tube in her back, unable to walk around, was far worse.

“Okay,” Andy said, kicking off her sneakers. “Hang on.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and swung his legs up. “Trust me, okay?”

April nodded, watching him. Carefully, he had her lean forward until he was able to scoot behind her, adjusting the bed so it was at a near-full upward angle and leaned back. When he was settled, he had her lean back against his chest.

“There,” he said softly, wrapping his arms around her. His palms rested flat on her belly, gently rubbing circles. “This okay?”

“Uh-huh,” she whispered, closing her eyes. Somehow, someway, the close proximity was helping. The last thing she expected when she went into labor was to want anyone—including Andy—touching her, but this was just perfect. “I—ahhh—“ she squinted as another contraction started up. Behind her, Andy breathed in and out with her.

“It's okay,” Andy reassured her. “You need to scream, go ahead. You need to squeeze my hands until they fall off, do it.”

April nodded, gulping the air in deep, measured breaths. This was a big one…her insides felt like they were being pulled out and twisted. “I can't…” 

“You sure you don't want an epidural, babe?”

“Y-yeah,” she nodded. “I’m sure.”

“Okay, well, just let me know.”

April smiled at him despite the pain. Here he was, the man who only eight months ago was a stranger to her. Now they were in the hospital having a baby, and their lives were about to change drastically. Despite how she felt in the beginning, there was no one she’d rather go through this with if she’d been given a do-over.

“Andy,” she said, once the pain had settled for the time being and she had a chance to catch her breath again, “are you feeling okay about all of this?”

He looked at her, his smile genuinely reaching from ear to ear. “Yeah,” he nodded. “I really, really super am.”

“Good,” she chuckled, “me too.”

The door opened, and a nurse came to do the typical check. Andy seized the opportunity. 

“Um, are we any closer?” he asked. “She's in some serious pain…”

“Uh-huh,” April nodded, squeezing his hand harder. “Y-yeah—shit, this hurts—yes.”

“Okay, well, let me check and then we can get Dr. Saperstein,” she said. She checked the monitor and squinted. Then she felt April’s stomach a few times, checked the stats on the computer and clicked her tongue.

“What’s wrong?” April asked nervously.

“I’ll be right back,” she said.

April glanced at Andy and he shrugged. She couldn’t help but feel like something was off. She didn’t like the way that nurse looked at the screen one bit.

“Andy,” April whispered. “I think something’s wrong.”

“No, don’t say that,” he kissed the back of her head. “You’ll be okay, the baby’s okay—“

Dr. Saperstein hurried into the room, followed by the same nurse. This time his examination was much more thorough, and he too looked like something was off.

“Well, April,” he said slowly. “Now, I don’t want you to worry,” he said. “It seems as though the little guy has decided to flip around. His head is facing the wrong way.”

“What’s that mean?” Andy asked, and April could hear the fear in his voice now.

“It means he needs to turn around because she can’t push him out like that,” Dr. Saperstein explained.

“How do we do that?” April asked.

“Well, if he were a full-term baby, I’d say let’s go ahead and wait a little bit and see if he’ll roll back over himself. You’re still not fully dilated and under normal circumstances that would give us a bit more time. However,” he sighed. “He’s four weeks early. The safest bet would be a c-section.”

They were literally going to cut her open.

“No, no…” April shook her head. “There’s gotta be another way, right?”

“It’s the safest way,” Saperstein said.

“Andy,” she turned her head, trying to look up at him. “This isn’t what was supposed to happen!”

“I know,” Andy said soothingly. He caressed her cheek, trying to get her to focus on him in the middle of her panic. “You know what though? It’s all going to be okay. They do this every single day and it’s totally safe.”

“I hate this,” she groaned. “I hate needles—“

“You’ll only feel a little bit of pain, then nothing,” the nurse assured her. “You won’t feel the operation but you’ll be awake the entire time. We’ll talk you through it and your husband can stay with you.”

“He’s not my…” April started but stopped. Andy was as good as any husband anyway. “Okay.”

Andy smiled at her and she tried to return it. She was terrified, but if this was what they had to do to make sure their baby was safe, she was going to do it.

 

“Okay April,” Dr. Saperstein said. “You’re going to feel a little bit of pain, okay? It’s just the needle…”

She nodded, leaning forward in her sitting position on the bed, while Andy kneeled in front of her holding both her hands. He whispered quiet words of praise the entire time while she tried to keep completely still. Not once did his eyes leave hers, even when she squeezed hers shut from the pain.

“Oh God,” she groaned, grinding her teeth.

“Almost done,” Saperstein said. “Another minute, then you can lie back down.”

“April, deep breath,” the nurse instructed her.

“I’ll breath with you,” Andy whispered. “C’mon honey, it’s okay.”

It hurt, and she wasn’t going to try to pretend it didn’t. It was a few more moments of burning pain and then she was lightheaded, being guided onto her back as she lost the feeling in her lower half. It was a strange sensation…and totally unnerving. 

Then they were wheeling her to the operating room. Andy was given a pair of scrubs, a cap, and a mask, all to prevent infection. He held tight to her hand, and April did her best to focus on him and not the blaring lights above her or the huge blue tarp that separated her top half from whatever was going on below.

_It’s going to be okay, it’s going to be fine…_

She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to remember a life before she’d met Andy, just to see if it was still familiar to her. It wasn’t…she couldn’t remember what it was like before him, and maybe that was okay. Now this was what mattered. As unplanned and surprising as this pregnancy had been, she knew it was going to be worth it. It had to be.

“We’re about to begin,” Dr. Saperstein came around the tarp, dressed for the operation. “If at any point you start to feel sick, lightheaded, or any pain at all, you need to tell us right away, okay?”

“Okay,” April nodded, her heart pounding.

“Ready Dad?”

“Totally,” Andy smiled. 

“Okay. I’m about to make the first incision,” Dr. Saperstein said. “You won’t feel a thing, except maybe some light pressure.”

“Uh-huh,” she breathed.

Andy was smiling. Even though the mask obscured most of his face, his eyes gave him away. His thumb ran constant lines from her forehead to her hairline, soothing and gentle. Then April felt the pressure and she took a steadying breath. 

“Doing okay?” the nurse called to her.

“Y-yeah,” April said shakily.

“Second incision,” Dr. Saperstein announced. “Halfway there!”

“You're so beautiful,” Andy said, as April closed her eyes. “You're the most beautiful, amazing—“

“Wow, here we go!” Dr. Saperstein called out suddenly. “Look at him!”

Then April could hear a baby wailing, and if on cue, she started to cry too. Dr. Saperstein came around the curtain, holding a squirming, slimy little baby, who looked as though the last thing he wanted to do was leave his home of the last nine months.

“Oh my God,” Andy said, awestruck and choked up. 

“Andy,” April smiled through the tears. “That’s him…oh my God…”

“Here you go, Dad,” Saperstein had wrapped their son in a blanket and carefully handed him to Andy. “Look at him, he’s just the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen.”

Andy took the infant in his arms, holding him like the most delicate thing in the world. His eyes were a mixture of wonder and pride, and for a moment he hesitated as though he didn’t trust himself. That faded almost instantly once their son opened his eyes to look at his father.

“Hi,” Andy whispered, kissing the baby boy’s head. “I'm your daddy, bud.”

Maybe it was her hormones out of control, but April felt a rush of emotion and cried harder. She felt tired, weak, incredibly vulnerable and open. She wanted so much to hold her son, but in this position she couldn't move. 

“Honey?” Andy looked at her immediately. “Babe, what's wrong?” A nurse came to collect their son, promising to bring him back as soon as he was checked over. After all, he was still a whole month early. 

“I-I don't k-know,” she sobbed a little, breathing quickly. “I j-just want to get out of this room, I…I need to hold h-him—“

Andy cupped her cheeks and kissed her damp forehead, wiping the tears under her eyes away with his thumb. “You will,” he said. “I promise. It's okay.”

“This is normal,” Dr. Saperstein assured him. “She's a little overwhelmed. April? I'm just going to stitch you back up, okay? Then we'll be on the way to the recovery room and you can hold your baby boy.”

Andy nodded, smiling at her the whole time. “Hear that, sweetheart?”

“Y-yeah,” she nodded.

“I need to let you know though…and I don’t want you to be concerned because this happens all the time with early babies, but we need to take him to the NICU for a bit. You’ll get to hold him before, but—“

“No,” April shook her head frantically. “No, no…he needs us, he needs his parents—“

“It’s okay,” Andy tried so sooth her, but she could see the worry in his eyes and it was making things worse. “Shh, April, I’m sure it’s fine…everything is fine.”

The same nurse who had taken their son to be weighed arrived carrying him in a fresh blanket. “He's six pounds, three ounces!” she said, smiling. “Not bad at all for an early baby.” She handed him back to Andy. 

“Why does he need to go to the NICU?” April asked immediately.

“Oh hun, don’t worry,” the nurse said. “This happens all the time. He’s healthy, he’s a good weight. It’s only because of hospital protocol.”

“See?” Andy looked at April and smiled, cradling their son in his arms like he might break at any moment.

“Do you have a name picked out?” the nurse asked.

April looked over at Andy. They hadn't chosen one because they thought they’d have more time. Now she was drawing a blank and felt even worse about it. 

“We didn't…” Andy said, looking embarrassed. 

“Take your time,” the nurse assured them. “Some babies go days without a name.”

Andy nodded and pulled his chair a little closer to April's side with the baby in his arms. Carefully, he lifted him a couple of inches higher and brought him to April's face. “See your mommy, buddy? She's the most beautiful mommy in the world, and you're the luckiest boy.”

He stared at April the whole time as he spoke. She reached out slowly and brushed the tip of her finger against the baby's cheek. It was the softest thing she'd ever touched. Instantly, she was hooked. 

“I love you,” she whispered to their son. “I love you so much, baby.”

 

April was groggy as whey wheeled her to the recovery room. Andy was by her side the entire time, holding their son in one arm while the other held April’s hand.

“How’re you doing, April?” His voice seemed far away.

“Tired,” she said, resting her head against the pillow. She stared at Andy as they moved her, trying to focus on the perfect sight before her to distract her from the growing pain in her abdomen.

When they finally arrived, her nurse gave her a dose of medication for the pain and asked if she’d like to try breastfeeding. April couldn’t have said yes quick enough. She just wanted to hold her son.

With some help, the tiny infant was placed on her bare chest. The minute her skin made contact with his, everything felt right. She always thought moms were full of it when they talked about “instantly falling in love” with their babies. She didn’t think it was possible to love another human that much. That was until she met her son, of course.

“He’s perfect, Andy,” she whispered, cradling him. He squirmed in her arms a bit until he eventually latched on.

Andy sat beside her bed, watching with love in his eyes. April knew he was just as overwhelmed as she was. It was hard to think that in the beginning she thought she didn’t want any of this. She’d actually thought about giving the tiny baby on her chest to someone else…about not giving Andy a chance. It was all so ridiculous now, she couldn’t even imagine it.

“I love you so much,” he said, kissing her head. “I love you too, buddy,” Andy said.

“Jack,” April said suddenly, watching their son eat.

Andy looked at her. “What?”

“I want to name him Jack,” she said, looking up at him. She didn’t know where it came from, but it just felt right.

A smile spread across Andy’s face and he leaned in to kiss her again, this time on the lips. “Babe, that’s perfect,” he said. “Jack. Jack Ludgate-Dwyer.”

“Uh-huh,” she nodded.

“We’ve come pretty far, haven’t we?” Andy chuckled, as Jack squirmed and yawned.

April sighed contentedly. She still needed to call Lucy and tell her the news. She also had to call work and tell Leslie she wouldn’t be coming in any time soon. They needed to buy a car seat and build a nursery so they could bring Jack home. There was still so much to be done.

She was in pain, she was dizzy, but she’d never felt happier in her life. “Yeah,” she smiled. “We have.”


	18. Co-Stars and *Not* So Secret Lovers (Rated T)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe Andy and April aren't as stealthy as they think they are...
> 
> A second part to my previous co-stars AU!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the wonderful anotheropti for his birthday! :D

_“Macklin!”_

Andy’s head had never felt so fuzzy. Focusing was hard, almost like he’d had too much to drink and he couldn’t think straight. He didn’t want to watch this. He couldn’t.

_“Burt Macklin!”_

He was supposed to be rehearsing his lines, but he couldn’t wrap his mind around the script. He knew them anyway, so he didn’t see what the big deal was…

_“Andy Dwyer!”_

The shout of his real name finally got his attention, and when he came back down to earth Andy realized the entire set was looking at him. Chris Traeger was holding his megaphone up to his mouth, staring at Andy like he was worried about him.

“Huh?” Andy looked around.

“Andy,” Chris hopped off his director’s chair and pulled Andy aside, away from the rest of the crew. Then, he put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. “Is something bothering you, Andy?”

“Uh,” Andy scratched his neck uncomfortably. “Well—“

“Because if there is, I think you should tell me,” Chris said, his smile wide and genuine. “I can’t have my actors distracted. The scene will be a disaster if you’re not into it. It’s a critical moment in the movie… _literally_ the most important scene.”

“You say that about every scene though,” Andy said, looking up as April stepped out of her trailer, walking across the set background to get ready for her scene. Chris didn’t seem to notice Andy’s distraction.

“Well, true,” Chris said. “But do you understand where I'm coming from, Andy?”

“Uh-huh,” Andy said carelessly, still watching April. She looked nervous and uncomfortable, and she kept pacing back and forth in place. 

“Okay, great!” Chris clapped Andy on the back. “Macklin’s about to make his entrance. Right after we shoot Janet Snakehole and her husband.”

That’s when Andy saw the guy who was playing Mr. Snakehole. Tall, dark, handsome…dressed up to the nines in his character’s clothing, which apparently was a sharp-looking black tux. Andy had only met the actor once, but it was enough to figure out that the guy was a good person, and capable of making the ladies on set fall for him. Not that April would do something like that, but the idea still ate at him.

“Okay everyone! Let’s get into position! April—Janet—get ready! Eduardo?” Chris looked at the man in the tux. “Ready?”

Andy watched as Eduardo walked over to talk to April softly. He whispered something in her ear and laughed. Andy felt his arms tense and the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Then, Eduardo looked over at Chris and nodded, giving the thumbs up.

Andy stood off to the side near the hair and makeup team with a heavy knot in his stomach. He could see April looking at him every once in a while with an uncomfortable look on her face. He tried to smile at her, but his mouth was frozen.

He and April weren’t supposed to be seeing each other. It was a rule that Chris Traeger established for every movie he worked on. Their situation had been completely unintentional from the beginning. It had just sort of happened in the best way possible. Now, they were sneaking into each other’s trailers under the guise of practicing their lines, and no one was supposed to know what they were really up to.

This wasn't supposed to be such a big deal. Andy still didn't understand why this was affecting him so badly. Actors film fake sex scenes all the time. What made this so different?

_You love her, idiot…_

That smaller voice in his head grew stronger, and then Andy realized that it was right. He loved her. He was in love with April Ludgate, his co-star, the girl he'd only met a month earlier when they'd first started shooting. She was smart, she was funny, she was shy…and was perfect. He’d loved her from the beginning and he hadn’t even known it until now.

That’s when it hit him. He’d been so worked up about this whole thing, he hadn’t even realized how much this was affecting her. She was afraid he was going to leave her after this, or lose interest. He needed to let her know that wasn’t going to happen, no matter how difficult watching this whole thing unfold would be.

Andy was about to ask Chris if they could hold off, just for a minute or so, but then he was too late. Chris called for quiet on the set and things started happening quickly.

With one more apologetic glance in Andy’s direction, April shrugged out of the thick robe covering her costume—or lack of a costume—and took her position on the bed in the fake set bedroom.

Andy felt his blood pumping. She was wearing nothing more than a lacy lingerie set, something dark and brooding that only Janet Snakehole might wear beneath her long, black dress. Just the perfect tease for the world’s best FBI agent. For Burt to get to her, he needed to rescue her from her controlling husband. That was the scene they were supposed to shoot later this afternoon…

 _“Action!”_ Chris called.

Andy watched as Eduardo and April started. From the moment the scene began, he wanted it to end. He couldn’t even do anything about it, because it was part of the damn script and Chris had no idea why Andy would even be upset in the first place.

Soon the fake sex noises started getting to him. Chris kept stopping April and Eduardo and making them start over…and over…and over…and Andy needed air. He couldn’t watch this anymore. He was about to leave out the back when he was stopped in his tracks by a female voice from behind him.

“Hey!” Turning around, Andy saw that it was Donna Meagle, the costume designer and wardrobe manager. “Is everything okay, Andy? You look pale.”

“Me?” Andy said stupidly. “Um, I’m fine.”

Donna narrowed her eyes at him and looked over to where Andy’s eyes were fixed on the set. When she turned back to him her voice was soft. “It’s not real, you know that right?”

“What are you talking about?” Andy said defensively.

“April and that handsome Venezuelan man playing her husband. Their fake sex scene is no more real than the fake blood you had on your face two weeks ago when we shot that action sequence.” Donna shook her head. “I know about you two.”

“What?” Andy tried to play dumb. “No, you don’t,” he chuckled nervously.

“Yes, I do,” Donna rolled her eyes. “I know you two aren’t practicing your lines in your trailers. I know those looks you two give each other whenever you have a Burt and Janet scene together aren’t improvised. The point I’m making Andy, is that it’s okay and I’m not gonna tell Chris.” She smiled at him.

Andy let out a breath of air in relief. “Thanks,” he smiled. “Really, I appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it,” Donna said, turning back to the set.

“And, CUT!” Chris yelled, making Andy jump. “Perfect! We’ve got it!”

April and Eduardo broke apart quickly. Andy watched as she stood up, grabbed her robe again and hurriedly put it on, combing a hand through her hair to flatten it out in the back.

Chris announced that they were taking a half-hour break for lunch, and Andy waited a few minutes after April had disappeared back inside her trailer before he followed her. He knocked once, and when her soft, “Come in,” greeted him, he looked to make sure no one was watching and hurried inside.

He found her hurriedly wiping her face and brushing her teeth, still wearing the same robe from before.

“Hey,” he said softly.

“Hey,” she said, spitting out her toothpaste. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he shrugged.

“That sucked,” she shivered once, clutching at her arms. Andy came up behind her and turned her, hugging her tight against him.

Andy knew how much she was dreading filming that scene. How anxious it had made her for the last several days. Not much had been able to distract her from it, and he hated that it was making her so upset. He also hated that he’d worried so much about _himself_ and how _he_ was going to feel instead of focusing on her.

“Yeah,” he nodded, kissing her forehead, “I’m sorry babe.”

“For what?” she asked.

“For not helping you through that,” he said. “For thinking of myself when I should have been thinking of you. I was too busy worrying about how uncomfortable _I’d_ be. It’s all I’ve been talking about for days.”

April gave him that shy little smile he loved. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “At least we know Janet becomes a widow at some point. I’d much rather have done that scene with you, though.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. 

“Yeah,” he kissed her, “me too.”

She smirked at him, weaving her fingers through the curls in the back of his head. “We can practice right now if you want. We’ve got some time…”

Andy didn’t need telling twice. With a tug, her robe fell to the floor…followed quickly by Janet’s fancy lingerie.

 

“Oh my God,” Andy breathed, some time later. They were wrapped in one of April’s many blankets, tangled together on the couch of her trailer. April could feel her heart racing, and Andy’s beating steadily against her chest. _“Fuck,_ April…”

“I think we just did,” she chuckled, kissing his jaw.

“Yeah,” he tried to catch his breath. “But that was…oh my God,” he gave a shaky laugh.

“Told you,” she panted. “I don’t care about anyone else. That stupid scene was so forced. He kept trying to grab my boob and it was so weird. I couldn’t tell if he was serious or trying to get into it.”

“Ugh,” Andy groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. “I don’t wanna know.”

“I guess I’m just trying to say,” she adjusted herself so she was straddling him again, “that you’re the only person who can make me—“

A knock on her trailer door made the both of them sit up too quickly, nearly falling off the small couch.

“Shit,” April looked at the clock. They were supposed to have been back fifteen minutes ago. “Andy! Look what time it is!”

Andy’s eyes went wide when she saw the time. “Oh no…”

“April? Andy?” It was Chris. “I know you’re both in there.”

They looked at each other, the both of them unsure what to do.

“We should answer him, I guess,” Andy shrugged, reaching for his pants. “Right?”

“I don’t know…” April stood and got dressed quickly. Her hair and makeup were a mess, and she had no idea why she thought they’d be able to get away with this when they only had thirty minutes before they had to be back on set, expected to look just as pristine as they’d been when they’d started. They’d been quicker before, but this was different.

“Please open up,” Chris called again. “I need to speak to you both.”

“I’m coming,” she called back, wrapping the robe around her. She smoothed out her hair in the mirror and opened the trailer door, just as Andy disappeared into the bathroom.

Chris stood there, looking serious. “April Ludgate…you realize what time it is, right?”

“I…” she glanced at the clock. “I think I lost track of time…”

“Where’s Andy?” Chris looked around behind her. “Someone told me they saw him come in here when we broke for lunch.”

“He’s—“

“Tell him I’m not here,” Andy’s muffled voice called from the bathroom.

April sighed and closed her eyes.

“You both realize I’m strictly against this,” Chris said seriously, now looking at the pair of Andy’s boxers he’d accidentally left behind, as well as the tangled blanket on the floor. “You both knew about this when you signed the contract to be in the film.”

Andy stepped out the bathroom looking embarrassed. He walked up beside April and wrapped an arm around her waist. “It’s not her fault,” he said. “I came in here when the scene ended.”

“So you just decided to start a relationship…a half an hour ago?” Chris looked both perplexed and annoyed.

“God, no!” April scoffed. “We weren’t together when we signed the contracts. This just sorta…I don’t know! It happened. And if your stupid rule can’t work around that, then I don’t want to be in your stupid movie!” she said suddenly.

Andy looked at her like he’d never been more attracted to anything in his entire life. She could swear that if Chris wasn’t there he’d be up for round two immediately.

“Well, I’m sure you both know this is incredibly disappointing,” Chris said. “However, seeing as how you’re the stars of my movie, I can’t exactly kick you out of it now…”

“Right,” Andy said, looking at Chris. “That would be stupid.”

“You both need to promise me that you’ll get your acts together, quite literally,” Chris said seriously. “I’ll let this go, but you have to remain professional. No more late lunches. No more sneaking away when you’re supposed to be on set. What you do in your free time is fine, but if you two are at work you need to be professional.”

“Fine,” April shrugged.

“Sure,” Andy nodded.

“Go see hair and make up,” Chris sighed. “I’ll see both of you back on set in an hour.”

They held hands, watching Chris walk away back toward the set. Neither of them spoke for a minute, trying to digest what had just happened. Then they turned to each other. All it took was a glance, and they both moved at once.

 _Guess there would be a round two after all,_ April thought to herself with a smile, as Andy hastily untied her robe and watched it fall to the floor. After all, they needed to rehearse.


	19. The Eagleton Library (Rated G)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe libraries aren't so bad after all...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by meet-me-onthe-equinox as "Librarian/avid reader AU" :D

“That book is so good.”

April turned around, shocked someone had found her in the little nook she’d created for herself, far in the deepest depths of the Eagleton library. She had a pretty simple strategy, and it seemed to be working for her…up until now, that is. Choose a book, take it to the encyclopedia section where no one ever went—because no one used them—and read the afternoon away.

Now, a tall, sandy-haired man was staring at her, a stack of books balanced in his arms.

“What?” She blinked at him.

“I said,” he put the stack down on a shelf and wiped some sweat off his forehead with his flannel sleeve, “that’s a good book. I’ve read it like three times.”

April looked from his kind, green eyes, to the book in her hands, and back again. “Yeah…it’s one of my favorites.” Her instinct to take off was kicking in. She didn’t like talking to people, especially not in her quiet place. Now she’d have to find a new nook, maybe even a new library.

“Did you read the others?” he asked, taking a seat on the floor beside her. He stretched his long legs out and leaned against the shelves. His smile seemed genuine enough, and he either didn’t care that she was starting to get uncomfortable, or didn’t notice. April figured it was the latter.

“Yeah,” she said, closing the book and sitting up. “I’ve read a few of them.”

“Oh, sorry,” he said quickly, hoisting himself back up with a grunt. “I’ll leave you alone. Don’t leave because of me.”

Maybe he was more observant than she thought he was.

“It’s not you,” she lied. “I just like to be alone when I read, and I’ve already been here for a couple of hours.”

“Okay,” he said. “Well, if you need help with anything just look for me. I’m Andy.”

“Thanks,” she nodded. “I’m probably just going to check these out and leave, though—“

“Oh, hang on!” he reached down and grabbed her pile of books, easily lifting them with one hand. “Let me get these for you!”

“You don’t have to,” she sighed. “I can carry them—“

“No, let me,” he waved her away.

April followed him to the front desk, staring up at the back of his head. He really was a lot taller than he looked. He messed around on the computer before asking for her library card, his smile huge and toothy. She slid it across the counter to him.

“April,” he said, once he’d found her in the system. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

April shrugged. She’d never seen this guy before in her life. “I’m here all the time…”

“No, that’s not it,” he shook his head. Then, his eyes lit up. “I know what it is!”

April raised her eyebrows at him.

“You got kicked out of the Pawnee library a few months back,” he whispered, leaning over the counter so as not to be overheard.

_Shit._

“Well,” she sighed. “Yeah, but…how did you—“

“We’ve all heard about you,” Andy grinned. “What you did was pretty ballsy.”

“It wasn’t a big deal,” April scoffed. “Plus, she had it coming.”

“I still don’t think they should have banned you for it, though,” Andy shook his head. “I mean, that lady who works there is insane…Tammy Swanson, right?”

“Yeah,” April smiled. “All I did was throw a dictionary at her. She was awful.”

Andy laughed, a loud, genuine belly laugh, and it made April’s face blush pink. Maybe he wasn’t some weirdo who liked to watch people read after all. At least that’s what she thought in the first place, anyway.

“Oh man,” he wiped away a tear. “That was great. She used to hit on me all the time when I worked there…”

“You worked there?” April asked, curious.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Up until like, a couple of months ago.”

“Why’d you leave?” April asked. “I totally don’t remember you and I used to go all the time.”

“I never worked up front,” he shrugged. “They had me rearranging shelves and stuff, and sometimes I’d have to put back all the returned books. Dumb jobs like that. Then they kinda fired me because I would spend all my time looking at books and comics instead of working.”

“Well, that’s a dumb reason,” April rolled her eyes. “Sounds like they lost a pretty cool employee.”

“That’s okay,” Andy grinned. “I like it here much better.” His eyes met hers and she could see the same pinkish hue on his cheeks that she’d felt just a little while ago. “Well,” he sighed, after a moment. “Here you go.” He slid her books across the counter to her. “Nice meeting you, April…I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Definitely,” she smiled back at him. “Make sure no one takes my nook, okay?”

“Will do,” he nodded. “It’s officially yours.”

As April walked away, she could hear him talking animatedly to a family with two young children, telling them all about some of the newest additions to the children’s section. She turned back once and watched him, his eyes bright and full of joy at the simple act of interaction with these people.

There definitely weren’t enough people like Andy in the world, she realized, right before she made a point to stick around this time. This was a library she didn’t want to get kicked out of for a _number_ of reasons.


	20. Emergency Room (Rated T)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested anonymously on tumblr  
> Prompt: _"Meeting in the ER AU" ___

Andy Dwyer hated the emergency room. He was there so often now, most of the nurses knew him by name. They all typically laughed when they saw him, asked him what happened this time, because he usually had a broken limb or two that landed him there in the first place. There was one nurse who was actually really kind of hot, and Andy always liked when she gave him attention. Ann was her name, and he wasn’t the best at flirting but he definitely tried with Ann. At least he made her smile, so that had to count for something.

This particular evening, Andy found himself there a little before midnight. Like always, they pulled his file up and told him to wait. There were exceptionally busy that evening, so the waiting room was pretty packed. Andy took a seat against the far wall, holding his hand with the broken thumb delicately on his knee. The skin was black and blue and totally swollen.

That’s what he gets for trying to carry two guitar amps on top of each other. Now, not only was this thumb broken, but he had two broken amps.

“Dude,” his guitarist, Burly, shook his head. “I told you it was too heavy. That was way too much gear. Now we have to replace those amps, and I don’t know where you think we’re gonna get the money—“

“Dude, chill,” Andy rolled his eyes. “My thumb is killing me. I don’t wanna hear about the amps right now.”

“We’re gonna be here all night,” Burly whined.

“Just go home,” Andy suggested. “Come get me in the morning. I’m sure I’ll still be here.”

“Really?”

“Yeah man,” Andy nodded. “Just go. I’ll be fine.”

Burly didn’t need telling again. He grabbed his jacket and gave Andy a punch on the shoulder—their typical greeting and method of saying goodbye—and left.

“Andy Dwyer,” Ann, walked over to where he was seated, a knowing grin on her face. “Well, well…not totally surprised to see you here on a Saturday night.”

“Hey,” Andy grinned at her. “Yeah…uh…lost a battle with my music equipment.”

“How long have you been waiting?” she asked.

“A couple of hours,” Andy shrugged. “You guys are busy tonight.”

“Yeah,” Ann sighed. “Just one of those nights, I guess.” Slowly, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’m off duty at six if you’re still around,” she whispered in his ear as she backed away, and Andy felt his face redden.

With his good hand, he rubbed the spot her lips had brushed against, watching her disappear back behind the double doors leading to the exam rooms.

Well, that was certainly something, and he was definitely going to take her up on that offer. At least after his hand was all bandaged up and they gave him some pain medication. Ann probably wouldn’t mind if he was a little loopy. After all, she was a nurse, and nurses deal with that all the time.

Just as he was about to figure out where they could go at six in the morning, the doors leading outside opened again and a guy and girl walked in. There was something about the way they were moving that caught Andy’s attention out of the corner of his eye. He looked up.

They were in their early twenties if he could guess their ages. He was pretty good at guessing ages, too…and playing guitar, and ending up in the emergency room. He shook his head and focused again.

The guy was leading the girl forward, almost as though she couldn’t walk. Her arm was slung around his neck, and he had his own arm around her waist, and every step she took was slow and dragging, like her feel were made of metal. She giggled, swaying on the spot, until the guy she was with gave a hard tug and she stumbled forward a bit into the closest chair.

“Just…ugh, fuck,” the guy said. “Just sit there, okay? I’ll go check you in.”

Andy watched. The girl nodded, her eyes lidded and her mouth slightly open. She looked dizzy. After a few seconds, she leaned back against the chair and closed her eyes. The guy she’d come in with was waiting to talk to the receptionist, seemingly oblivious that his companion was nearly passed out.

_She’s drunk,_ Andy realized.

She had long black hair and bangs that came down to her eyes. There was something incredibly familiar about her, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember where he’d seen her before. He was still trying to figure it out when her head slumped forward on her chest, and she slid a few inches down the chair.

Andy stood up and moved to sit beside her. “Hey,” he said softly, so as not to startle her.

She gave no response. He tried again, this time gently shaking her shoulder.

“Hello?” he said, a little louder now.

The girl opened her eyes and looked up at him. The whites around her pupils were bloodshot and the black in the center was dilated.

“Huh?” she said.

Andy smiled, relieved. “Hi,” said softly. “You were making me a little nervous there for a second.”

“Who are you?” she asked, squinting and rubbing the side of her head.

“I’m Andy,” he said. “I’d shake your hand, but my shaking hand is a little broken at the moment.”

“Where am I?”

“The emergency room,” Andy said.

“I feel sick,” she mumbled.

“You want something?” Andy looked around. “Some water maybe?”

“I—“

“April!”

Andy turned at the voice. The guy who’d come in with her was looking over from the receptionist window.

“Yeah?” she said groggily.

April…her name was April. Suddenly, it clicked.

“Did you go to Pawnee High?” Andy asked.

April turned to look at him, her eyes half-closed. “Y-yeah,” she nodded. “Why?”

“April!” he smiled. “Do you remember me? It’s me, Andy Dwyer! We had science together, remember?”

“Oh,” she squinted at him, and her mouth turned up into he smallest of smiles. “Yeah, I do remember you,” she said slowly. “Weren’t you the one who tried to put the dissected frog back together again after class was over?”

“Yeah!” he laughed, surprised she remember that after so many years. “Dude, I felt so bad for it, I had to—“

“April!”

They both turned their heads toward her friend’s voice. He was staring daggers at the two of them.

“Get over here, they need your info,” he said, all the while glancing at Andy suspiciously.

Andy didn’t like the way this guy was speaking to April. It made his heart pound and the blood rush in his ears, and he hated it.

“Okay,” April said, groaning as she stood up on wobbly legs. She had to hold onto the arm of the chair to stand properly, and even then she was shaky.

“Here,” Andy said, standing with her and giving her his arm. “I’ll help you.”

“Dude, she doesn’t need your help,” the guy marched over and roughly pulled April away from Andy, taking her arm in his own. “I think I got it.”

Andy frowned. “She can’t walk straight and you were just gonna let her make her way over there herself. She’s drunk—“

“No shit,” the guy said. “I know she is.”

“Look man,” Andy said firmly. “I know her, okay? I was helping her—“

“I don’t care if you know her, she’s with me—“

“Knock it off, Jason…it’s fine,” April said, shaking her head as she stepped between them. She turned to Andy and smiled. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Andy said, sitting back down in an empty chair. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Andy?” A nurse called his name. He looked up, almost forgetting where he was in the first place.

Oh yeah… He was in the ER because he broke his thumb.

“Coming,” he said. He stood and followed the nurse through the doors.

 

He was done a lot quicker than he thought he’d be. They took an x-ray, bandaged him up, gave him a few painkillers, and told him to rest for a little while before discharge.

As he lay back on the hospital bed, he kept thinking of April. He wondered if she’d gone in yet and if she was okay. He didn’t have a lot of confidence in her boyfriend, or whoever that guy was.

“Hey there,” a voice startled him.

Andy looked up. It was Ann.

“Hey,” he smiled. “How’s it going, Ann?”

“Fine,” she said. “How’s your thumb?”

Andy held his bandaged hand up proudly and grinned. “Looks a lot better now.”

“Good,” Ann laughed.

“Hey,” Andy sat up a little. “Did you see the girl who came in a little while ago? She was drunk?”

“Oh,” Ann rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I saw her. Typical…girls like that come in every other hour on the weekends. Drunk as ever, and we usually have to pump their stomachs. That’s what happens after a night of partying.”

“The guy she was with is a douche,” Andy said firmly.

Ann looked confused. “Okay…do you know him personally?”

“No,” Andy shook his head. “But I know her. From school, I mean. Anyway, he was treating her lousy. It just rubbed me the wrong way.”

Ann still had that look on her face, almost like she couldn’t figure him out. “Well, you’re all ready to be discharged,” she said, pulling out his chart. “I just need you to sign the papers. You know the drill.”

Andy nodded and took the clipboard, scrawling something illegible down with his left hand. “Thanks Ann.”

“Here,” she tucked a little folded piece of paper in the pocket of his flannel as she took the clipboard from him. “Don’t forget to call me. Six o’clock, okay? Maybe we can get breakfast or something.”

“Yeah,” Andy said. Although, if he was honest with himself, the idea of breakfast with Ann wasn’t as appealing to him as it had been only a couple of hours ago. He’d been too preoccupied. “I’ll see ya later,” he nodded.

As he made his way back through the doors and into the main waiting area, he looked around for April. There was no sign of her, but the guy she was with was still there. He sat in the far corner, talking to someone on the phone and looking bored and angry, like he’d rather be anywhere else but there. Andy stalled by the vending machine, trying to listen to his conversation.

“…yeah, this is fucking bullshit…” he heard him say. “Yeah, we’re in the ER right now. I know. She’s a fucking lightweight who can’t handle vodka. No, I’m gonna bail soon. I’ll tell her to call a cab, or something.”

Andy was feeling that anger again. He waited, trying to hear as much as he could.

“…I don’t care. Nope, I don’t even know her that well. She’s in my communications class. Yeah…sounds good. Tell Stacy I’ll be over too. As soon as I get the hell outta here. I gotta make sure she doesn’t die or something. That would suck. No, I didn’t hit that. She wound’t let me.”

Andy had had enough. He didn’t understand how some people could be so horrible. April deserved better than this. He stood and walked right back through the double doors he’d just come through.

“April?” He whispered her name as he passed each curtained off area and open door. “April?”

“Andy?”

“April?”

“In here…”

Her voice was coming from an open door to his left. Andy looked around to make sure no one was watching, before he slipped inside.

She was lying in bed, her skin pale and a little sweaty looking. Judging by the smell coming from the corner, she’d puked in the trash bin. He stood by the side of the bed and smiled at her.

“Hey April,” he said softly. “How you feeling?”

“Horrible,” she muttered. “But I guess just a tiny bit better since I puked.”

“Yeah, that helps.”

“What’re you doing here?” she asked, looking at him a little confused. “I thought you left?”

“Nah,” he shook his head, “not yet, anyway. I wanted to check on you.”

“Oh,” she looked at him. “Why?”

“I dunno,” Andy shrugged. “Because you’re a really cool person, and that guy you’re with is an ass.”

“Oh,” she grinned. “You mean Jason?”

“Is that his name?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I know, he sucks.”

“Well, why the hell are you hanging out with him?” Andy chuckled, taking a seat by her bed.

“Dumb mistake,” she sighed. “He made me a fake ID and we used it tonight to get into some bars. Guess I had too much,” she rolled her eyes.

“You know I’m not gonna let you drive home with him, right?” Andy said. “I don’t like him.” He knew he had no chance of making her decisions for her, but he also knew it was worth a shot.

“Dude, I’ll be fine,” she said, closing her eyes.

“Please,” Andy said. “Let me take you home, okay? C’mon…my friend Burly is gonna pick me up and he can drop you off too.”

“Who knows how long I’m gonna be here,” she said, sitting up. “It could be hours.”

“I’ll wait,” he said confidently. “I’m good at waiting in hospitals.”

“Andy…” April shook her head. Still, she smiled when she looked at him. It was small and shy, but it made him smile too. “Fine,” she said, rolling her eyes again.

“Awesome,” he grinned. “I’ll just go out there and tell him to leave. Be right back.”

 

“Hey, it’s Jason, right?”

Jason looked up and frowned when he saw Andy standing over him. “What the fuck do you want?”

By now, a few of the other patients were watching. Andy didn’t mind. All he cared about was getting this guy out of here.

“Go home,” Andy said.

“What the hell?”

“Go,” Andy said again. “I’m taking April home.”

“Listen guy,” Jason stood. “I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but—“

“If you don’t get out of here,” Andy said calmly. “I’m gonna have to call my friend over at City Hall and tell her you’ve been selling fake IDs to the underage kids in your classes.”

Jason’s eyes went wide. “What?”

“Yeah,” Andy nodded, trying to appear extremely serious. “She’ll make sure you go to jail. Her name’s Leslie Knope and she knows _everyone_ in this town.”

That seemed to do the trick. Jason slowly backed away, until he turned and scrambled out the doors of the ER. Andy watched him go, feeling incredibly satisfied with himself. Truthfully, he didn’t know if Leslie could do anything about that guy, but she was pretty amazing so he often thought she could do anything.

 

Ann was examining April when Andy stepped back into her room. She seemed just as shocked to see him as he was to see her.

“Andy?”

“Oh,” Andy said, “hey Ann!”

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m…” he scratched his neck. This was awkward. “I’m gonna take April home. I’m just waiting with her.”

“Do you two know each other?” Ann asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Yeah,” Andy said confidently, looking over at April who appeared to be on the verge of falling asleep. “We do, actually.”

“Oh, okay,” Ann said. She looked disappointed. “Well, she’ll be fine in an hour or so. She just drank too much. Underage, too,” she shook her head.

“Sorry about breakfast,” Andy said, as Ann made to leave. He truly was, but for some reason it just didn’t seem right anymore. “Hope you don’t think I’m a jerk or anything because I had to bail.”

“It’s fine,” Ann shrugged. Then she stood and took April’s chart with her. “I’ll see you next time, Andy. I’m sure this isn’t the last time you’ll be back here.”

 

“Thank you,” April said, leaning against Andy’s shoulder in the back of Burly’s car a little over an hour later. “This was pretty awesome of you, I guess.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, enjoying the feeling of her head pressed against him. “You feeling better?”

“A little,” she said. “I just need to go home and rest. My parents think I was spending the night at a friend’s house. Ugh, they’re gonna wonder why I’m home and hungover.”

Andy had an idea. It came to him so suddenly, he almost gasped. “Hey! You can stay with us!”

“What?” April and Burly both asked at the same time.

“Yeah,” Andy said. “C’mon man, she can stay in my room. I’ll sleep on the couch. Just for a little while.”

Burly let out a loud, deep sigh. Andy knew he wouldn’t say no. “You’re lucky you’re my friend, man.”

“Thanks dude,” Andy said. “You cool with that, April? You can come hang out with me, and in a few hours I’ll drive you back home. It beats stumbling into your parents’ house at five in the morning, right?”

“Yeah, it does,” she grinned. “Thanks again.”

“Don’t mentioned it,” Andy said. “Maybe sometime we can hang out for real. Like, when you’re feeling better and not so hungover?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “That could be pretty cool.”

“Awesome,” he lifted his hand, waiting for her to return his high-five.

April rolled her lips and obliged.

Honestly, Andy had never been happier to break one of his bones than he was that day.


	21. Three Years Too Long: Coming Home (Rated M)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter of this little mini-AU! Thanks for sticking with it. :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For meet-me-onthe-equinox, who inspired me to keep going with this and has been the most patient and incredible friend. <3

April stared at the young man in front of her, seated in one of the two chairs facing her desk. He’d been droning on and on now for nearly the entire session. His thirty minutes were almost up, and she’d barely been able to help him. Now she was going to have to book him a second appointment. With a frustrated groan, she cleared her throat and politely interrupted.

“Okay,” she said loudly. “Mark, it’s been thirty minutes. We need to either schedule a second appointment, or if you feel as though you have a better understanding of what you want to do, we don’t have to meet again.”

Mark, who was her tenth client of the day, had already seen her once before this. He kept trying to ask her out in the most inconspicuous way, and she kept turning him down. Half the time, she thought that he was only there to give him an excuse to talk to her. He gladly rescheduled, and once he’d left her cubicle and she was finally alone, she slumped back in her seat with a heavy sigh.

Her phone vibrated. It was Eddie, asking if she wanted to meet up for dinner.

She stared at the screen, hesitant to type a response because she didn’t know what she wanted. She’d been wondering what she wanted a lot lately. Instead, she opened up her photo app and scrolled back for a while until she landed on the picture she was looking for.

She and Andy were together on a picnic blanket, smiling at the camera with an almost sickening happiness on their faces. It was from the day Leslie needed them to help her with the Parks Department summer catalogue, and it felt like forever ago now. It was old, but it was her absolute favorite photo of the two of them. It was even framed in their house. _Was it still? Had Andy scoured the place of anything reminding him of their relationship and gotten rid of it?_

April stared at the smile on his face, forever frozen in pixelated form—or at least until her phone died, or something—and before long, her stomach started to hurt. She missed him so much, and there wasn’t even anything she could do about it.

 

“Babe, I’m talking to you.”

Andy blinked several times. The ceiling above came into focus.

“Andy, are you listening to me?”

“What?” He looked over to his left. Stacey was still there staring at him with large, blue eyes, the bedsheets bunched around her legs and his, half covered.

“You’re not listening to me,” she huffed, annoyed. “I swear, half the time I feel like you’re somewhere else.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, shaking his head.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked coyly, running her hand down the skin of his arm. Her palm stayed flat against his muscle until it came to rest on his inner thigh. He flinched ever so slightly, but luckily she didn’t notice.

“Nothing,” he lied.

“Hopefully it’s about last night,” she purred, “because that’s _all_ I’ve been thinking about…”

He met Stacey at the gym. It started as casual conversation. They always seemed to end up on the same exact set of treadmills, always next to each other. Then, while he’d lift weights, she’d be on the machine next to him. After about a week of this, Andy realized that she’d been doing it on purpose.

Tom wouldn’t shut up about her. He seemed to think that Andy had hit the hot girl jackpot. Honestly, Andy didn’t know what Tom was talking about. Stacey was nice to look at. She had a nice body, nice hair and nice eyes. She seemed to like him a whole lot, because she slipped him her number one day at the gym and Andy gave her a call. But she was nothing compared to what he’d known and loved. She’d never be. 

He’d been lonely. He’d needed some type of physical contact. It sucked to admit, but it was true. There were a couple of other girls he’d met through Mouse Rat gigs, but they’d been nothing more than one night stands. After that, he decided that he didn’t like that type of thing so much. He wanted a relationship again.

Andy looked at her and smiled. “Last night was amazing,” he said, even though there hadn’t been anything special about it at all. It was just sex. There was no connection on any other level.

“So, what’s the plan for today?” Stacey asked, sliding out of his bed and stretching. “You going to do more work for that boring festival?” She rolled her eyes and found her clothing from the night before.

“Well, yeah,” Andy shrugged. “Leslie needs me to—“

“I don’t like Leslie,” Stacey said, interrupting him without a care. “She comes over here too much.”

Andy frowned. “She’s my friend,” he said. “She’s one of the coolest people ever.”

“Well, I think she has a thing for you,” Stacey shrugged, squeezing into her short shorts. “Why else would she call you all the time and come over here so often?”

“Because I’m organizing this Unity Concert for her,” he said. “Plus, like I said, she’s my friend. And she’s married, so she doesn’t have a thing for me.” _And she comes over to make sure I don’t hurt myself anymore…or drink myself to death…_

“Whatever…”

Andy stared at the blonde woman in front of him. They’d been seeing each other for two months now, and he still felt as though she knew nothing about him that was of any importance other than the fact that he was in a band and he worked at City Hall.

“I’m gonna shower,” he said suddenly, standing and shedding his boxers. He didn’t know why, but he needed to be alone in that moment. Or at least away from Stacey…she was getting on his nerves, and that was hard to do when it came to people he spoke to. Generally, Andy liked everyone. “Why don’t you…um…go have breakfast, okay?”

“Sure,” she said, combing a hand through her hair as she stared in the mirror.

As he stood in the shower, the hot water cascading over his face and down his torso, Andy closed his eyes and thought of April.

It wasn’t the first time. Hell, it wasn’t even the second time. He thought about her every single day. Every time he kissed another girl, he thought of her. Every time he fucked Stacey, he thought of her. Every time he wrapped his hand around himself—even now, in the shower—he thought of her and the way she felt. Every time he went to bed and closed his eyes, he thought of her. The way her hair shone black and silky in the sunlight. The way her hands were always cold, and he would grab them and kiss them to make them warm, his facial hair tickling her skin and making her laugh and swat at him. The way she fit so perfectly on top of him, her slender legs straddling him as they whispered horribly dirty things to each other and laughed at the same time. The way he’d kiss her tears away when she’d cling to him in bed, hyperventilating and shaking, and he’d spend hours protecting her from the world. He thought of her.

Andy missed all of it. Every single fucking day, he missed all of it.

By the time he came downstairs, fully dressed but still toweling off his hair, he found Stacey in the spare room where Ben used to sleep when he was their roommate, and April in that last terrible week of their relationship. One of the cardboard boxes he’d piled up over the course of the last couple of years was open. 

“Hey,” he said, standing in the doorway. “Um…whatcha doing in here?”

She was holding a framed photo in her hand, staring intently at it. “Who’s this girl?” she asked, turning it around. It was his framed copy of the cover of the Pawnee summer catalogue. He’d kept it at the shoeshine stand for the longest time.

“Oh,” he said, his stomach doing an involuntary flip. “That’s my ex…”

“I know her,” Stacey smiled a bit. “I went to high school with her.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, her name’s April, right?”

“Yeah…” That was weird. It was hard to imagine a world where Stacey and April knew each other. They were way too different.

Then Stacey did something Andy wasn’t expecting. She let out a loud, tittering laugh. The type of laugh you’d hear from a teenage girl who’d just heard the juiciest gossip and couldn’t wait to spread it.

“Oh my God,” Stacey said, now with a nasty grin to match. “She was such a _freak._ Please tell me you weren’t really dating her? It was like a dare, right? God, she was so _weird!”_

An anger like Andy hadn’t felt in possibly _years_ bubbled up faster than he could control. He’d never wanted to kick someone out of his house so quickly.

“You need to leave,” he said quietly.

“What?” Stacey looked up at him like she’d heard wrong, still giggling to herself.

“You need to go,” Andy said, reaching out and taking the framed photo from her.

“Andy—“

“Stacey, leave,” he said angrily.

“What the _fuck_ is your problem, Andy?” she said, now staring at him like he had two heads.

“I don’t think we can see each other any more,” he said, staring at her.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“We need to break up,” he said.

Stacey looked like she’d been slapped across the face. She glared at him, her mouth hanging open. Then she strode forward and stomped past him.

Andy watched as she gathered up her things. She didn’t have much…just a purse and a bag with overnight necessities. He didn’t say a word the entire time. He only watched. When she was finally done, she gave him one last look by the front door.

“You’re seriously dumping me for making fun of your freaky ex-girlfriend?” she sneered.

“No,” Andy said. “I’m dumping you for making fun of my amazing, smart, beautiful ex-girlfriend,” he said, “who’s a million times better than you as a human being in every single way.”

Stacey had never looked so angry as she stormed off, slamming the door so hard it shattered one of the glass panes.

Once her car had completely disappeared from view, the first thing Andy did was return to his bedroom. Then, he balled up all the bedsheets and threw them in the trash. He was starting over again.

 

April hadn’t recognized Andy at first. She’d looked up and saw him, now much leaner and muscled than she could have imagined, and he was staring right back at her with his mouth hanging open. They’d somehow found each other in a crowd of hundreds.

She’d walked right up and wrapped her arms around him like it was nothing. She’d been a little thrown off from the lack of bounce. Where a pudgy, soft stomach used to sit, was a flat, hard abdomen. He’d still been warm, though. She doubted that would ever change.

He was doing fine, he’d said. He was organizing events for Leslie. Hell, he’d put together the entire Unity Concert, and that in itself was mind-blowing. April was so proud of him.

She wished they could have talked for hours. She had so much more she wanted to ask him, to say to him. She wanted to hear about his life and everything she’d missed. She could see the jealousy in his eyes when she’d introduced him to Eddie, and she got a sick satisfaction from that.

_Good,_ she’d thought. _This is what you’re missing. This is what you had._

Maybe she’d never admit to him that all the times she was with Eddie she’d closed her eyes and pretended it was Andy, but it was a fucking amazing feeling to be stared at like that again.

Now, as she walked away from him, she glanced over her shoulder. He was still staring at her, his eyes sad and fixed on her face as she wove through the crowd to find the booth Eddie had gone to check out.

She wanted to turn around and run back to him. She wanted to forget everything she’d done in the past three years…find him and apologize and never leave him again. She wanted to so badly, until she realized how insane that sounded. He didn’t want her. He probably had someone waiting for him. She’d missed her opportunity. It was gone. She’d made her decision.

She gave one last look over her shoulder. Andy was gone.

 

Two weeks later, April found herself in the hospital.

It was the flu, as usual. She never seemed to understand why it hit her so badly, but it did. She always had a long recovery, and this time was no exception.

She’d called Eddie five times that day since she was admitted. He only picked up the last time, and she had to hold back from yelling at him for his lack of response or care. He promised he’d come later and she could only believe his words, hanging up angrily and holding back tears.

Then she got worse. Her fever spiked, her head pounded in pain, and she threw up everything she ate. She was given IVs, fever reducers, heavy blankets…anything they could think of to help her and make her comfortable. Unfortunately, the only thing she really wanted and needed was hundreds of miles away and had no idea what was going on with her.

At some point, she felt someone take her hand. Her skin was on fire and her limbs felt like they weighed a hundred pounds each.

“Andy?” she groaned.

“No, it’s Eddie,” a voice said. “Who’s Andy? What are you talking about, April?”

She couldn’t speak. Everything hurt. God, she wished he were here…

 

“April’s sick?”

Andy burst into Leslie’s office unannounced. The blonde woman behind the desk was caught off guard as she spoke on the phone, muttering a quick apology to the person on the other end before she hung up with the promise of calling back and faced her friend.

“Andy,” Leslie sighed. “Next time, please give a warning before you burst in here while I’m on the phone with Washington.”

Andy paced back and forth. He didn’t mean to interrupt her like that, but he needed answers.

“Leslie,” he said. “I was just talking to Donna and she said something about April being in the hospital.” He wrung his hands together and clenched his fists. “Leslie, what’s wrong with her?”

Leslie sighed, throwing a frustrated glance toward where Donna’s desk was. “Yes,” she said slowly. “April’s sick with the flu and she’s in the hospital in DC.”

“Is she okay?”

“She’s going to be fine,” Leslie said. “I spoke with her this morning. She’s much better than she was the other day and they think she’ll be discharged tomorrow.”

Relief washed over him. That was good. That meant she would be okay.

“Oh,” he breathed. “Okay, well…um…yeah. I’m sorry I barged in here.”

“It’s okay,” Leslie said knowingly. “Just don’t worry about her, okay? She’s fine.”

Andy nodded and turned to leave. Maybe it was his imagination, but he couldn’t help but think Leslie was keeping something from him.

 

April broke up with Eddie as soon as she got home from the hospital. He didn’t take it well. He tried everything he could to get her to reconsider, but she was fixed on her decision. Their relationship wasn’t the right fit. It never was, but she had originally thought that maybe she could force it to be if she tried hard enough. It was useless, because Eddie would never be who she needed him to be.

Now, as she settled into her own bed for the first time in four days, she took a deep breath and savored the freedom that she’d craved for a while now. It felt so good to be home.

She typed a quick response to Leslie on her phone. Her former boss had checked in with her earlier to make sure the discharge had gone smoothly. April was grateful for her concern, regardless of how she may outwardly act most of the time. Leslie was the only one who really saw the real her. Well, since Andy anyway.

For example, Leslie was the only one who knew about April’s breakdown in the hospital. Leslie was the only one April had called, tears running down her face as she sobbed unapologetically about how much she missed Andy, about how she wished he was with her, how she was scared and lonely and miserable. Leslie helped her through it, as she usually did.

After the text was sent, April pulled up her favorite photo again. She stared at it until her eye lids got heavy and her brain began to shut off for the night. If she thought hard enough, she could even imagine the feeling of his arm draped over her side.

She woke up the next morning and her decision was already made.

 

It was pouring when her flight finally landed. People swarmed the taxi waiting area, hoping to grab a ride to avoid the downpour and make their way home for the night. It was late, well past nine-thirty, but for a last minute flight booking this was the best she could do to get to Pawnee as soon as possible. She managed to grab the last taxi waiting in line and told him where to go. She knew Andy would still be up. It was way too early for him to be asleep on a Friday night.

When the cab dropped her off, she practically threw her money at him and hurried out, her suitcase in tow. It didn’t take long for her to get totally soaked again. The rain hadn’t let up at all, and as she hurried up the walkway and knocked on the door with rapid beats of her fist she realized she didn’t even care.

No answer, which was odd. The light from the TV was blaring through the window. Either Andy had fallen asleep on the couch or he didn’t hear her. She rang the bell on her second try, hoping he’d hear it. Andy was always a heavy sleeper, which could be both good and bad depending on the situation.

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the thumps of his heavy footsteps getting louder. The door swung open, and for a moment Andy looked right over her head, his mouth open, as though he was expecting someone else. Then, his eyes darted down and nearly bulged out of his head when he saw her.

“April—“

She leapt into his arms. He stumbled backwards and caught himself, before slamming the door closed and hugging her tighter than he ever had.

She was home.

 

Andy’s hands sent shivers down her spine. It had been nearly an hour that they’d been lying in bed, bodies hot and tangled as they struggled to breathe normally again. His large, warm palms held her close, never once straying from her shoulder or her back as she half-lay on him, her head resting against his chest and tucked under his arm.

At one point, she looked up at him. His eyes were already on her, soft and green and so incredibly beautiful that she struggled to keep from smiling at him. Then she noticed the tears that had gathered in the corners, ultimately giving way and falling down his cheeks in wet streaks.

With her thumb, she wiped them away. “Hey,” she whispered, “babe, don’t cry…”

“It’s a good cry,” he assured her with a small smile, his voice shaky. He took a deep breath. “I’m just…really glad you’re home.”

Sometimes shitty things happen for a reason. Maybe three years had passed that they’d been apart. Maybe they’d both seen other people and temporarily tried to numb the pain of their breakup the only ways they could figure out how. None of it really mattered, though. What was three years in the grand scheme of their life together?

“I love you, April Ludgate,” he whispered, just as she felt herself falling asleep.

Eyes closed, she smiled. “I love you too, Andy Dwyer.”


	22. Scars (Rated T)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In a way, this is sort of a continuation/extension of Chapter 3, _"Support"_
> 
> Requested in the form of various prompts by meet-me-onthe-equinox, and mashed together to form this angsty bit of an AU. ;)

He looks at her out of the corner of his eye, torn between watching the road ahead and checking to make sure she’s all right. It’s early, too early, and it took all their strength of will to tear themselves out of that shitty motel bed and be on their way. It was the only way they could keep going, though, because any other distraction would have made her change her mind.

She looks at him, gives him that same half-smile she’s been wearing for the past half an hour, lost in the memories of the previous night, and reaches out to grasp his arm.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Andy asks, lacing the fingers of his right hand, the hand currently not on the wheel, with hers. “We can turn around.”

“I have to,” she shrugs. “We’ve already driven too far to turn around now.”

Andy nods, taking a deep breath. April was incredible. She was strong, and tough…and frankly the best thing that ever happened to him. However, all she had to do was say the word and they would turn the car around and go home. Well, their new home anyway. DC still didn’t have the same feeling that Pawnee had. It probably never would. But April felt safe there, she felt at home there, and that’s where they would remain until she got that overwhelming urge to move on.

 

They drive for the majority of that day, stopping here and there for breaks, coffee, gas station snacks. A diner off some obscure exit provides the simple dinner they craved. A burger for him, some onion rings for her, a large soda shared between them with a milkshake for dessert. Andy makes her laugh, doing ridiculous things with the straws to the point where more people are staring at them then not, and after a pointed look from the manager they tone it down while holding their laughter under the breath.

He reaches for her hand across the table and she takes it, smiling at the gentle pressure of his thumb rubbing her palm over and over.

“How you doing?” He raises an eyebrow.

April shrugs, and for a moment the outdated soundtrack of eighties music seems unbearably loud in their ears. “Fine. Thanks again, babe.”

“Love you,” he says, bringing her hand to his lips.

“Love you too,” she whispers.

 

They park the car at an abandoned rest stop just outside the Pawnee line, where April climbs into his lap in the driver’s seat and they take a moment to enjoy each other. Clothes still on, she unbuckles his belt and pulls down her panties, and the sex is quick and frantic…but it’s what she needs and Andy will oblige. He always does.

It’s late again, the entire day of driving exhausting the both of them. He asks if she’d rather sleep, but she tells him to head to the cemetery first. She always preferred the place at nighttime. Something about no one else being there, although if you were to ask she’d say it was because of how creepy it was. Andy knew the truth.

He holds her hand as they walk past the same familiar stones, name after name standing out like old friends. They reach the clearing under the tree, a newer plot of land where many of the graves still have fresh grass. Without a word, April lets go of his hand and slowly steps forward.

Andy watches as she kneels down in front of a newer, marble stone, gently brushing the grass in front of it with her hand. He comes up behind her, making sure to give her space, hands in his pockets.

“Sorry I didn’t bring you flowers this time,” April says softly. “I know you hate them.”

Andy smiles to himself.

“Um…yeah, also sorry it took so long to come back, I guess,” April goes on. “I sorta hate it here. DC is better for now.”

The wind blows, scattering some leaves and twigs at their feet. April turns and looks over her shoulder, a silent beckoning, and Andy steps forward.

She looks up at him and bites her lip. “I brought Andy,” she whispers. “He’s pretty amazing. He’s helped me a lot…you’d have liked him.”

“Hey Nat,” Andy says softly.

Maybe it was something about the way he said her name, but April loses her composure then. Her hardened exterior cracks, and she collapses, her face in her hands as she starts to sob. Andy hurries forward, kneeling beside her. He pulls her into his arms and rests his chin on her head, gently rocking her.

After a while, she sniffs, wiping her eyes with her palm. “Let’s go,” she whispers.

Andy doesn’t need telling twice. He stands, helps her up with a gentle tug of his hand, and they make their way back to the car.

The Pawnee Super Suites Motel will do for the night, until they make the long drive home in the morning.


	23. One Floor Apart: Meeting (Rated G)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April just wants to get her work done in peace, but the musician who lives in the first floor apartment below is making it far too difficult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically requested by the magical meet-me-onthe-equinox as a continuation of a random little AU I made up in which these two are neighbors who live in the same building, one floor apart. Since I can't deny her any type of fic, of course I obliged. :)

There it was again. That obnoxious music was coming from the floor below.

April Ludgate grumbled and kicked at the floor beneath her feet to no avail. What was the point of working from home if she couldn’t get any work done? That thought alone frustrated her, because work was terrible and boring and she hated it no matter what. Still, if she could get away with doing something so frustrating and dull, at least if she’s home she could do it in her pajamas, hair a mess if she so chose, and no one would bat an eye.

The music, now accompanied by someone’s voice—as if it wasn’t annoying enough—was making it nearly impossible to focus. It was a man’s voice, singing along to the tune of his guitar. She could only make out a few words. She thought she heard the phrase _“Spread your wings and fly”_ once or twice, but she couldn’t be entirely sure. What she _did_ know is that she wanted to march downstairs, pound on the door, and tell whoever it was to shut the fuck up.

She decided to pause to get a snack. Maybe by the time she was done, the annoying musician would also be finished? This had only been happening for the past two weeks, and April had been living in her apartment for a little over a year now. She couldn’t imagine that it was the quiet, nerdy man who she knew lived directly below her on the first floor, nor was it anyone on the empty third floor above. Last she’d checked with her landlady, no one was renting out that apartment space yet.

April only ever saw the guy downstairs—Ben—once or twice a week when he left for work in the morning, or maybe in passing if they both happened to be in the yard. It could be entirely possible that he’d gotten himself a roommate.

 _Terrible choice, nerd,_ she thought to herself, imagining Ben's dumb face. _At least when it was just you down there it was like no one was there. Now there was this._

She grabbed a spoon for her yogurt and a fresh cup of coffee, and slumped onto her massive couch. It was the one item she’d splurged on when she moved in. It was soft, squishy, and large enough for three grown men, but she adored it. She loved the way she melted into it. It was even better than her bed. She grabbed her favorite quilt and bundled herself up. Maybe a few episodes of her favorite show would help pass the time.

 

April’s short break had turned into something more like an hour and a half of television. It wasn’t a big deal, really. She worked for the Pawnee Parks Department, specifically the Animal Control branch, and a lot of her work could be done out of the office. As she sat back down at her desk, it was noticeably quieter. The music had stopped, the singing too.

_Thank God._

She’d barely lifted her fingers to type when another noise caught her attention. A loud, grumbling, repetitive bang. 

“What the hell?”

It sounded like it was coming from the basement. Sighing loudly, she put on her shoes and a sweatshirt and stepped into the back stairwell, making the trip two floors down.

The washing machine was literally jumping in place, soapy water spilling out of the closed lid on top of it. April’s eyes widened…she’d never seen such a thing, and had no idea how to stop it other than pulling the pug in the wall. The floor around the appliance was soaked. Thank God she didn’t have any junk down here…

“Dammit,” she bit her lower lip and tugged on the thick, industrial wire. One sturdy pull and the machine came to a halt, suds and all. She backed up and ran a hand through her hair, appraising the sight before her, when loud, heavy, hurried footsteps came crashing down the basement stairs.

April turned in time to see a tall, stocky man in plaid and jeans staring, open-mouthed, with a mop in one hand and about five towels in another. He looked first at April, then at the now still washing machine, before his shoulders slumped and he let out a huge sigh.

“Thank God,” he groaned, letting the mop fall to the floor. He ran a hand through his sandy-colored curls. “I had no idea how to stop it.”

“You did this?” April asked, unsure what else to say. For someone who hated most people, especially new people, she was shocked at how calm she was being. She’d never seen this guy before in her life, and here they were in a basement together. He could murder her now and no one would ever know.

“Well, yeah,” he said sheepishly. “By accident, though…I was trying to wash clothes.”

April walked over to the machine and carefully lifted the lid. Blue, soapy bubbles were everywhere. “What did you use?” 

“Soap,” the man said dumbly.

“No, what _kind_ of soap?” April rolled her eyes.

“Oh!” he chuckled, his smile larger than anyone’s she’d ever seen. “Bubblebath!”

“Well, there you go.”

“There what goes?”

“Dude,” April scoffed and shook her head. “You tried to use bubblebath to wash clothes. Not exactly the brightest idea…”

“Sorry,” the man said, looking upset. “My roommate said I needed to start doing laundry or he’ll kick me out, and I figured no one was home so the machine would be free—“

“Wait,” April looked at him. _“You’re_ Ben’s roommate?”

“Yeah,” he replied. “I’m Andy. I moved in two weeks ago.”

It all made sense now. The music, the singing…now that she looked at the man before her, large and kind of goofy, she couldn’t imagine that anyone else could be responsible. His voice even sounded the same.

“You mean it was you the whole time?” she asked, astounded.

“The whole time what?” Andy looked confused.

“For the past two weeks, I’ve been hearing loud music for like three hours a day!” she said. “I’ve been trying to get work done and I can’t!”

“Oh man,” Andy looked embarrassed. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to be so loud.”

April wanted to tell him that he _should_ be sorry, that he should quit being so loud and obnoxious and feel bad for ruining her concentration. But she just…couldn’t.

“I’ll stop, I swear,” Andy went on, sticking his hands in his pockets. “I can find somewhere else to practice. Maybe my mom will let me use her basement—“

“Woah, woah,” April held her hand up. “It’s fine.”

“It is?”

“Uh-huh,” she grinned at him. “You don’t have to stop, just…I don’t know…maybe play a little softer when I’m working from home?”

Andy looked relieved. “Sweet!” he said, his smile returning. “Awesome, thank you so much, um…”

“April,” she said.

“April,” he stuck his hand out for her to shake. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” she shrugged, watching as his giant hand totally engulfed hers.

They both seemed to have forgotten about the washing machine. The floor was still soaked and Andy’s clothes likely ruined. April glanced over at the mess and hummed.

“What are we going to do about this?” She stared at Andy and smirked.

“Dunno,” he shrugged. “I’ll take my clothes to a laundromat, I guess.”

“I can always call Donna,” April said. “She can take a look at it.”

“Who’s Donna?” Andy asked.

“The landlady,” April said. “She owns the building.”

“Oh,” he nodded, comprehension dawning on his face. Then suddenly, he looked nervous. “Oh man… What if she makes me pay for it? I can’t afford that!”

“Don’t worry,” April assured him. “She doesn’t need to know it was your fault.”

“You mean you won’t tell her?”

“No way!”

Andy smiled and hurried forward to pull April into a tight hug. Her feet lifted off the ground and for a moment she feared he was going to drop her, but he never did. In fact, his grip was so strong and secure, she smiled. 

“Sorry,” Andy chuckled, once she was she was safely back on the ground. “Got excited...”

“It’s fine,” April said, tucking some hair behind her ears. She could feel herself blushing. “Maybe we should get your clothes out of there?”

“Good plan,” Andy nodded. 

Together, they unloaded the washer, tossing the soaked clothing into the laundry basket. Most of it was jeans and t-shirts, and far too much of both. It certainly contributed to the problem, at least.

“What should we do about the mess?” Andy said, giving the puddles one last glance. 

“Let Ben deal with it,” April shrugged. “Do you need a ride to the laundromat?”

“Please,” Andy nodded. “That would be awesome since...um...I currently don’t own a car.”

How in the world she went from wanting to ring his neck to giving him a ride to the laundromat, April would never understand. She was enchanted by his smile, charmed by his personality, and suddenly it just made sense to get to know him better.

Thank goodness she decided to work from home that day.


	24. Surprise (Rated T)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested anonymously on tumblr as a little AU where April finds out she's pregnant while Andy is in London

_8:15 AM: Leslie, I’m sick. I can’t come to work today._

_8:15 AM: What’s wrong?_

_8:17 AM: Stomach flu._

_8:18 AM: Oh, April, I hope you feel better…_

_8:25 AM: Thanks_

_8:26 AM: Want me to come over with some crackers and ginger ale?_

_8:26 AM: No, I just want to sleep._

_8:28 AM: OK feel better!_

April stared at the text message exchange from her place in bed. This time, she wasn’t lying just to get out of having to go in. She truly felt like shit. It was strange, because she’d gone to bed just fine the night before. She'd had her nightly Skype session with Andy, ate a meager dinner, watched some dumb movie on TV and went to bed early. When she woke, she felt like she had food poisoning mixed with a terrible headache. A few trips to puke in the bathroom was enough to persuade her to stay home.

Her hand automatically rubbed the empty spot where Andy slept. It was supposed to be warm, sunken in under the weight of him. Now it was cold and flat. He hadn’t been in it for two whole months. She missed him like crazy. The last time they’d seen each other in person was when he came home to surprise her for a day and a half. It wasn’t enough.

Quietly cursing the fast food she ate the night before, she rolled over and went back to sleep.

 

The next day wasn’t any better. After one entire day in bed, April felt no better than she had yesterday and still had no appetite. Another text to Leslie, another day of staying home. April was sure her boss would be showing up to check on her. Leslie was already super annoying about checking in on her since Andy had gone to London, but now that April was sick—like, legitimately can’t-get-out-of-bed, puking-her-guts-out sick, there was no stopping the overly concerned blonde woman.

It wasn’t until April was making herself some mint tea with the hope that it might settle her stomach that she thought of something. Something she hadn’t thought of at first, something that was so far out of her head that she hadn’t even considered it a possibility.

April had just hung up on Skype with Andy for the evening and was about to get ready to relax when it hit her. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gotten her period.

Frantically, she checked the calendar on her phone. She never worried about this type of thing. She and Andy always used protection and even so, they hadn’t seen each other in a month…

A month… A month ago he surprised her by showing up unannounced at Parks. When Jerry-Larry whoever the hell he was left the office for good, they had sex on the table in the conference room.

_Oh, shit…_

April put on some sweatpants and one of Andy’s hoodies and grabbed her keys. She had to go to the store. She needed to buy a test and rule this inconvenient possibility out.

 

The stupid little stick fell from her hand so quickly, it was as though it burned her. Shaking, April watched it clatter to the floor in the bathroom, window side down. She tried to steady her breathing as she reached for it with trembling hands. Quickly now, she grabbed it and flipped it over in her hands.

_**PREGNANT** _

The one word was bold in the tiny square. It stared up at her like a flashing neon sign. She couldn’t stop staring at it.

“Oh my God…” April put the stick down and hugged her arms to her chest.

_Fuck. They made a kid. Oh my God…oh my God…_

This was not how it was supposed to happen.

She didn’t know what to do. She knew she had to tell Andy, but it was currently eleven-thirty at night in London and she knew he was probably already asleep. She wasn’t going to wake him up and ruin his day for this.

Although, she couldn’t help but wonder if it would ruin his day or actually turn it into the best day in the world. Andy wanted kids. He made that part clear in the most sincere, non-pressuring way. He knew she wasn’t sure about the idea and he never bombarded her with mentioning it, but she knew it was never far from his mind. Yeah, now that she thought of it, she was sure he’d be thrilled. Still, now wasn’t the time.

God, she wished he was there with her, because currently she felt on the verge of an emotional breakdown and she was alone.

 

The next day she called out again. Leslie was frantic, insistent on coming over, but April pushed back. She avoided her boss’s calls for the rest of the day. She couldn’t face anyone except Andy right now, and she still hadn’t told him. She’d gone to bed the previous night a living wreck, shaking, appetite gone. Her mind had been swimming with thoughts. Things she had to do, things she should’ve done that could’ve gotten her out of this predicament—most notably, they should have waited until they’d gotten home to screw that day—and it all bubbled over until she was exhausted enough to fall asleep.

The night came and went. As luck would have it—bad luck, of course—Andy couldn’t Skype that night. For some reason, she couldn’t get in touch with him. He wasn’t returning any calls or e-mails. She had to wait to tell him until the following day.

 

The slam of the front door woke April up the following morning. She sat bolt upright, groggy, nauseous. Champion was gone from the foot of her bed, and before she could register what was happening, she heard heavy footsteps and the loud, hurried breaths of someone coming down the hall.

_“Honey?!”_

No way, she thought to herself. She must be dreaming.

_“Babe!”_

Andy burst through the bedroom door, out of breath and looking as though he had run a marathon. He was sweaty, his clothes disheveled, his tie half-on. He had bags under his eyes and he was pale and exhausted looking. As soon as he saw her, he ran to the bed and pulled her into his arms.

“Andy—what—how?” April could barely speak. She couldn’t believe he was here.

“Honey, oh my God, you’re okay…” Andy hugged her tighter, kissing the top of her head over and over, pressing his cheek against her hair. “Baby I was so worried about you—“

“What are you talking about?” April asked, once she’d detached from him and took his hands in hers. She held them at arm’s length so she could look into his eyes. “Andy, what are you _doing_ here?”

“Ben told me you’ve been sick,” he said softly. “I took the first plane back…I left work and…” He took a deep breath to compose himself. “Honey, why didn’t you tell me you’ve been so sick that you haven’t gone to work?”

April rolled her eyes. Of course Leslie would blab to Ben, and ask him—actually, probably force him—to tell Andy. “I didn’t want you to worry about me,” she admitted.

“I was!” he said. “I was so worried!”

“Andy—“

“Are you okay?” he asked, looking her up and down. “You look tired—“

“Andy,” April tugged him forward a little. Before anything else she needed to give him a proper hug. She still couldn’t believe he was there, in their bedroom like that. The shock was wearing off and relief took its place. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Me too,” he sighed.

They kissed, April cupping his cheeks. She rubbed his ears and his patchy beard, taking in his warmth and his smell all at once.

“Missed you,” she whispered.

“Missed you too,” Andy smiled. He gave her hand a squeeze. “So what’s wrong? Why do you feel sick? Ben said it was the stomach bug.”

This was it…this was the time. She had no reason not to tell him. This was even better than over the computer screen. Now he was here in person.

“Well,” April sighed. “That’s what I thought at first,” she said.

Andy looked confused and a little worried. “Then…what is it?”

“Babe,” April looked up at him and smiled softly. “I’m pregnant.”

It took him a moment to register what she had said. His face went from concerned, to confused, to totally shocked all in a matter of seconds, until he was staring at her with his mouth open in a perfect O-shape.

“You—wait—what?” he said. “You’re—“

“Yeah,” she nodded, biting her lip. “I am.”

Andy choked out a laugh that sounded a little like a sob, before he pulled her into a crushing hug. Then, just as quickly, he let her go. “Shit—I mean, oh my God—I’m sorry I squeezed you—we’re gonna be parents?” His words were jumbled, but April couldn’t help but smile at his elation. He was reacting just as she thought he would, and somehow it made everything better.

“I mean, I still have to go to the doctor to get it confirmed for sure, but I took a test, so—“

“I love you so much,” Andy said, cupping her cheeks as he kissed her. “I love you so, so much.”

April’s eyes were wet. She wrapped her arms around his torso, losing herself in his warmth. “Andy, you have no idea how scared I was when I found out. You weren’t here, and I didn’t know what to do…I just—“

“Don’t worry about that, I’m not going anywhere,” he said.

“But, you’ve got to go back…”

“Nope,” Andy shook his head. “I’m staying right here. I’m done with London. I’m not leaving you.”

“Babe, no—“

“I’ve made up my mind, April,” he said firmly.

April looked at him. She’d honestly never seen him so serious. “Andy…”

“I’m so happy, honey,” he said, and his smile was from ear-to-ear. “I can’t believe this is actually happening! But…when did we…um, y’know…we use condoms, so…”

“A month ago when you surprised me at work,” she said, smiling.

Once it dawned on him, Andy’s eyes went wide. “Oh…wow,” he chuckled. 

“Uh-huh.”

“How do you feel about this, babe?” He looked at her now, and for a moment April wanted to cry. Yeah, it was definitely the hormones, but part of it was that no matter what, she knew that he felt like this was ultimately her decision, and he would abide by whatever she wanted. That was just enough reassurance to know that things were going to be okay.

She kissed him softly. “I’m excited,” she mumbled against his lips. “Really, really excited.”


	25. One Floor Apart: Pizza (Rated G)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by the amazing meet-me-onthe-equinox on tumblr!
> 
> Two prompts in one, and since she loves this little universe I wanted to add more to it just for her! <3  
> Prompts: _"Kiss at dusk"_ and _"Why are you helping me?"_

April’s favorite time of day was just as the sun was going down. It was quiet. The world was just settling down after a long and usually annoying day. If she was home, like today, she would go out onto the balcony of her little apartment and watch the sun sink deep into the western sky, until the horizon changed from yellow to blue, to an even deeper purple. It was perfect and still. She was alone.

Well, almost, anyway.

From her vantage point, she could see a small car drive up in front of the apartment building and a single figure get out. Smiling, April leaned over the edge and called down to him.

“Hey!”

Andy Dwyer looked up, his guitar slung over his back, and smiled. “Hey! Ludgate! What’s up?”

“Where’re you coming from?”

“Band practice,” he said confidently. “My guitarist gave me a ride.”

“What’re you doing right now?” she asked.

Andy shrugged. “Nothing, I guess. Just gonna eat something and watch TV.”

April chewed on her bottom lip, thinking about whether or not she wanted to spend her usual alone time the way she normally did—which was alone.

“You wanna come hang out?”

Andy’s face brightened in an instant. “Yeah, totally!” he called. “Lemme put my stuff away and I’ll come up. I’ll bring some beer.”

April grinned as his footsteps got softer and the screen door slammed shut behind him. She hurried to unlock her door and gave her apartment a quick check to make sure it wasn’t a total disaster. She was’s the most tidy of people, but it would do for now.

Ever since the day they’d met in the basement over the broken washing machine, April couldn’t shake him. Not that she wanted to… She genuinely enjoyed his company. They’d spent the majority of that afternoon laughing and joking and getting to know each other while they waited for Andy’s clothes to dry. It was actually fun spending time with someone as goofy as him. He made her laugh, something a guy hadn’t done in months, and it made her feel like a new person. She wanted to keep chasing that feeling, and if it meant spending time with Andy Dwyer than so be it. So, she looked for more opportunities to do just that.

She heard the sliding door open behind her, and Andy joined her on the patio. He was sweaty and out of breath, like he’d just run a marathon, but he was still grinning from ear to ear.

“Hi,” he said, placing the beers down on the little table and taking the empty folding chair.

“Hi,” she smiled back.

Andy grabbed a beer and twisted the cap off before handing it to April, then got one for himself. “Whatcha doing up here?” he asked. 

“I like to come out here to watch the sunset,” April said. “It’s quiet and no one else is around. Plus, as a bonus I get to spy on people. It’s a win-win.”

Andy laughed, a deep belly laugh that made April’s stomach flutter. She found that she enjoyed spending more and more time with him no matter the circumstance. They could be down in a flooding basement, at the laundromat, or on a second floor apartment deck, and it all just felt so right. 

“I tried looking for a job today,” Andy said suddenly, making April raise her eyebrows. “I didn’t find anything, but it was worth a shot.”

“That’s awesome,” she said. “Hey, at least you tried.”

“Yeah,” Andy shrugged.

“Maybe I can talk to my boss,” April suggested. “She knows practically everyone in this town. Maybe she can help you out.”

Andy looked at her with wide, hopeful eyes. “You’d do that for me?”

“Yeah, sure,” April shrugged. “Why not?”

Andy looked at the ground, then at April. “I dunno, it’s just…no one else really ever goes out of their way for me, and now you’ve done it twice.” He scratched his beard thoughtfully. “I guess I’m just kinda wondering why you’re helping me.”

“Well, I make an exception for cool people,” April smiled at him. Then a strange thought hit her that made her uncomfortable. Maybe she was getting too involved, and this was his way of telling her to back off. “I mean, if you don’t want me to—“

“No, no! It’s totally fine!” Andy said quickly, holding his hands up. “I just feel like a jerk because I haven’t done anything to help you.”

“You brought me a beer,” April said, holding the bottle up. “Plus, you moved in with Ben. You saved me from having the most boring neighbor in the world.”

Andy laughed. “Yeah, Ben’s a total nerd, but he’s a good guy.”

“Maybe,” April rolled her eyes. “He apparently has a girlfriend, but I’ll see it when I believe it.”

“Oh yeah… Her name is Leslie. Leslie…Knorff? Knowles? No wait…it’s Knope! That’s it…Leslie Knope,” he said, thinking hard.

“Wait, what?” April turned her head sharply. “That’s my boss!”

“What?” Andy nearly spit out his beer. “You’re kidding! Leslie Knope is your boss?”

April couldn’t believe it. “Yes!” She laughed. “Oh my God, Leslie dates nerdy Ben! I’m gonna give her such a hard time tomorrow.”

“Aw man, you’re lucky!” Andy said. “Leslie is the best! She’s so cool! She comes over sometimes, but they don’t really stick around. One time I walked in on them doing it by accident and since then they don’t spend much time there when they’re together.”

“Oh my God,” April covered her eyes. “That’s horrifying…” She didn’t want to picture Ben doing it with _anyone,_ but now that she knew who he was doing it _with,_ it made it ten times worse. “Gross…”

Andy chuckled. “Yup!”

By now the sun was almost all the way down. Stars had started to pop out one by one, dotting the sky above like twinkling lights. April shivered.

“You hungry?” she asked, suddenly aware of how much noise her stomach was making.

“Sorta,” Andy said. “Could definitely go for some food.”

“We can order a pizza,” April suggested.

“Sweet,” Andy said. “That sounds good.”

“Great.”

She dialed the number and placed the order. The guy on the other end said it would take twenty minutes, so they had no choice but to wait.

Andy took a deep breath, making April glance over at him. He looked at her and smiled. “You’re like…the coolest girl I’ve ever met,” he said confidently. “You’re just so awesome.”

April was taken aback. No one had ever said that to her and meant it. At least she hoped Andy meant it…sometimes it was hard to tell, but she was pretty sure he was genuine.

“What?”

“You are,” he said. “I just think you should know that.”

April smiled, turning away so he couldn’t see her cheeks flush. He was such a dork. A complete goofball… Now here was saying something like this. It was making her brain—which was already spinning with possibilities she didn’t understand—spin faster.

For a moment they looked at each other, and it suddenly became apparent how close their chairs were. April could see the black of his eyes, large now as he adjusted to the encroaching darkness. She saw him lick his lips quickly, and before she knew it she was leaning in even closer. Andy mirrored her movements.

“Is this okay?” he whispered.

For all April knew, Andy could have been talking about the plan to order pizza, or the fact that it was nearly dark and they were still sitting outside and it was cold. Somehow, deep down, she knew that wasn’t it though.

“Yeah,” she whispered back.

Then she could feel his lips press against hers. They were warm and soft, tasted like beer, and absolutely perfect. Then they broke apart before April even had a chance to think about it, leaving her longing for more. 

Andy was breathing deeply, staring at her with large eyes like he did something wrong. “Oh…um…I’m sorry, I—“

“No,” she shook her head. “Don’t be—“

“I didn’t mean to—“

“Neither did I, I just—“

The doorbell rang and the both of them sat up, startled. 

“Pizza,” April said, blushing furiously. 

“Right,” Andy shifted in his seat. “I’ll get it—“ He stood up so quickly that the folding chair fell over. 

“I got it!” April stood up now too. Her stomach was feeling sick, but she couldn’t seem to get her brain to think straight. Did he regret that kiss? She certainly didn’t. Yet the way he was looking so uncomfortable made her feel weird. “It’s totally fine.”

Somehow, they both made to head back inside at the same time. They crashed right into each other. 

“Shit, sorry!” Andy said, when April fell backwards. He grabbed her by the hand and stopped her from falling just in time. 

“It’s okay,” April said softly, gripping his hand tightly as she let him pull her back up. “I’m okay.” She made her way down to the first floor and out the front door to retrieve the food and pay the delivery boy. She was aware of Andy’s stare, watching her as she disappeared. It wasn’t until she’d returned with the pizza that he cleared his throat awkwardly and made to say something.

“Listen, I—“

“No,” she interrupted him, holding up her hands. She wasn’t going to let him let her down this way. She was going to put a stop to it before he even had the chance to say anything. Save him the time and herself the embarrassment, because why not? “I’m sorry about that…y’know, the kiss. I didn’t mean it.”

“You didn’t?” He looked at her sadly.

“Well, no, I—“

“Because…April,” he stuffed his hands in his pockets, “I wanted to…um…to tell you that I liked it and…well, I don’t regret it at all.”

She stared at him. “You don’t?” Her voice was small and shaky. She couldn’t help it.

“No,” Andy shrugged. “I don’t. I like you. A lot, actually…and…I wanted to be honest with you.”

April wasn’t quite sure what to say. He was watching her, probably trying to figure out her feelings, the way her mind was working, to see if he’d said the wrong thing. She was standing there with her mouth half open, probably looking ridiculous. So instead of speaking, she did what her gut was telling her and ran forward, hugging him tightly. Immediately, she felt him wrap his arms around her back, holding her close, and she took a deep breath.

“I like you too,” she whispered, finally, after at least half a minute of standing like that in each other’s arms.

“Awesome,” Andy replied, tilting her chin up so she was looking up at him. “Otherwise I think I’d feel like a total creep.”

April started laughing, and before long Andy joined in. The pizza was pretty cold by the time they finally got to it, but, quite honestly, cold pizza had never tasted so good.


	26. The "F*ck You" Bouquet (Rated T)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by the wonderful puzzlingsnark on tumblr! :D  
> Prompt: _"Flower shop AU"_
> 
> *Based on [this tumblr post](https://that-one-fluff.tumblr.com/post/170640400938/flower-shop-au). I do not take any credit for the bouquet or the meaning behind it.*

Andy Dwyer was starting to fall asleep at the counter. The cool metal under his arm was soothing on a day that was uncharacteristically warm for late winter, although he was always feeling too hot, so he guessed it had more to do with his own body than the temperature outside. Whatever…science was cool but his head was starting to hurt from thinking about it too much.

Instead, he decided to focus on the clock on the wall. Fifteen minutes to closing time. He gave the shop a once-over. Everything was in the correct place. It had been a slow day, so there wasn’t much to rearrange in the first place.

Just when he was about to decide to lock the doors a little earlier than he should, he could see a thin, dark-haired girl hurrying down the street toward his shop. She looked angry, judging by the way she was walking with such persistence. He thought she was going to pass by and head into the coffee place next door, but to his immense surprise she stormed into the shop in a huff, making the little bell above the door chime. She made straight for the counter and slammed a ten dollar bill on the counter in front of him.

“How do I passively aggressively say, ’fuck you’ to someone using a bouquet of flowers?”

Andy stared at her. She was a short, angry-looking young woman. She had bangs that nearly hid her eyes, dark brown hair down past her shoulders, and a yellow cardigan that matched several of the bouquets on sale in the cooling fridge. He wasn’t sure how to respond, so he cleared his throat and said the first thing that came to mind.

“Sorry?”

The girl rolled her eyes. “I need a bouquet of flowers. This is a flower shop, right?”

Andy looked around, stupidly. “Y-yes…”

“Okay,” she said. “Which of these flowers can I make into a bouquet and give to my ex-boyfriend to let him know—passive aggressively—that I hate his guts and I hope he rots in hell?”

Andy grinned. He liked this girl. “Rough day?”

“Rough year,” she replied. “So, can you help me or not?”

“Yeah, I can.”

At once, her expression softened. She looked relieved. “Thank you.”

“Okay,” Andy rubbed his hands together and put his green apron back on. “So, let’s see… You wanna tell someone to ‘fuck off’ with flowers? I gotta say I’ve never gotten a request like this before.”

“Well, I’m kind of different from most people,” the girl shrugged, stuffing her hands into her pockets.

“Why don’t you pull up a seat,” Andy gestured to one of the tall stools by the counter, “and I’ll swing around once I pull together a few things? What’s your name?”

“April,” she said.

“Cool,” he nodded. “I’m Andy,” he extended his hand, but the short girl just stared at it cautiously. He was about to pull it away, right before she slowly pulled her own hand out of her pocket and shook his. “Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, you too,” she said softly, not meeting his eyes.

He set to work, hurrying around to the various vases and jars and putting things together. He knew the perfect combination to make this work for her. It was kind of crazy and a super interesting way to tell someone off, but something about the way this girl barreled into his shop made him excited to help her. She was fiery, which was more than could be said for half the people in this town. All his usual customers were boring.

“Do you own this place?” April asked him, looking around as he worked. “I’ve never been here before. Then again, I don’t buy flowers like, ever.”

“I own it with my brothers,” Andy said, gathering several buds and stems and arranging them just perfectly. “Our mother used to own it, but she’s retired now. It got to be too much for her. There’s seven of us, so we all share the load.”

“Wow,” April said.

“Yeah,” Andy nodded. “But I’m here the most. I’m the only one without any kids.”

“Got it.”

“Can I ask you something?” Andy looked up at her as he cut the ends of the stems.

“Sure.”

“What did your ex do that made him deserve this bouquet?”

April bit her lip and stared at the ground. 

“Too personal?” Andy backtracked immediately. “Sorry, you don’t have to—“

“He cheated on me,” April shrugged.

“Wow, what a dick,” Andy shook his head. “Yeah, he deserves this bouquet.”

“Yeah, exactly,” April muttered.

“Well, I think I’ve got something you’ll like,” Andy said, smiling as he came around the counter and pulled up a stool beside April’s. “Check this out.” He held out the arranged bouquet proudly. April’s eyes got brighter when she saw the arrangement, the tiniest smile appearing on her lips.

“So, how does this get my message across? What exactly do they mean?”

“Well,” he pointed to the largest flower, a bright yellow carnation. “This is a carnation. It’s basically like telling someone that you’re disappointed in them. These,” he pointed to the orange tiger lilies, “mean hatred. The red geraniums symbolize stupidity. Finally, these purple foxglove,” he pointed to the oddest flower of all, dozens of purple bell-shaped buds bright and blooming, “symbolize insincerity.” He smiled at her. “The ‘fuck you’ bouquet.”

“This is amazing,” April said, shaking her head in wonderment. “I mean, I never thought you’d be able to—I mean— _wow.”_

Andy grinned. He was happy she was impressed. It had taken him long enough to memorize all the flowers and what they meant, but once he learned it he had a hard time forgetting. His memory was like that. “Well, I’m glad you like it,” he said. 

“I love it. Thank you.”

“Let me just get some filler leaves and baby’s breath to thicken it up a bit, and I’ll wrap it up for you,” Andy said.

“Awesome,” April hopped off the stool. “How much do I owe you?” She dug into her purse. “That ten probably isn’t enough.”

Andy waved her question away. “Don’t worry about it.”

“No, really,” April said. “You just created what’s probably the world’s most amazing bouquet of flowers in the world. Let me pay you.”

Andy sighed, placing the wrapped flowers on the countertop. To finish the look, he added a black bow. “Tell you what,” he said. “You come back here and tell me what he says after you give it to him, and we’ll call it even.”

April smiled. “Deal.”

“Um,” Andy grabbed one of his business cards and scribbled his number on the back. “Here’s my number if you ever need anything else. My cell number…if you call the store it might be one of my brothers who answers.”

“Thanks,” April said, pocketing it. “And thanks again for this,” she picked up the flowers, admiring them. “I’ll have to make a point to come in here again if I need to insult someone else with a floral arrangement.”

“I hope you do,” Andy said. “Y’know, come in here…not get cheated on again or anything. That would suck.”

“Yeah, well, I’m done with relationships for a while,” April told him, chuckling darkly.

“Sounds like a good plan,” Andy said, wholeheartedly agreeing with her although he wasn’t sure why. All he knew was that this April girl was better off single. “Really awesome meeting you, April,” he raised his hand for a high five.

“You too Andy,” April returned it. “I’ll see you around.” With one final grin, she turned and left the shop.

Andy watched her walk down the street, keeping her in his sight until she was nothing but a speck in the distance. By now, it was half past five. The sky was getting dark again and he’d unknowingly lost track of time. He locked the door and flipped the OPEN sign to CLOSED.

He really hoped she’d come back.


	27. Away: Part 1 (Rated T)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy Dwyer and April Ludgate are strangers who meet by chance on a train, both leaving their hometown for very different reasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by meet-me-onthe-equinox on tumblr! :D  
> Prompt: _"Meeting on a train AU"_

It was a train to nowhere and a train to everywhere. It didn’t matter though, because it was taking April away. Away from her shitty life to somewhere new and hopefully exciting, a new job working for that Chris Traeger guy who promised her a decent salary plus health insurance. She ran a hand over her ballooned stomach and felt the baby within kick, almost as though she sensed her mother’s presence.

_Don’t worry baby. It’s going to be all right. We’re starting over._

The train lurched to a stop just outside of Eagleton. April watched as some passengers got off, and even fewer got on. Her forehead was pressed against the cool glass and it was a relief. Summer was winding down, but being six and a half months pregnant wasn’t exactly comfortable.

The few passengers who got on filed down the aisles in the cart ahead of them. It seemed as though they all had found a seat, for which April was grateful. She’d managed to make the short ride without a seat mate so far, and she hoped to keep it that way.

Then, as though someone read her mind and enjoyed watching her suffer, the door to her section slid open and a tall figure stumbled through, dragging a large guitar case in his wake and looking around for a seat. He scanned the rows, all of them full, until his eyes landed on hers. He opened his mouth slightly, his eyes trying to search her face, but she’d turned away too quickly. Maybe if she didn’t meet his stare he’d walk past her. It typically worked.

“Excuse me?”

April looked up. He was looking down at her. Damn it.

“Yeah?” she replied in the softest voice possible.

“Can I sit here?” He gestured to the empty spot beside her. “Everywhere else is full and…well, I need to sit.” He chuckled softly.

April sighed. “Sure…”

“Thanks,” he smiled and took a seat, lying his guitar case along the floor. “Sorry, I’m heading to a gig.”

April nodded, trying to remain uninterested. The less you interacted with people, the less likely they were to keep engaging you in conversation.

“I’m Andy,” he said, extending his hand. April stared at it. “Um…” He pulled it away quickly.

“I’m April,” she finally responded. It seemed as though there was no stopping the inevitable conversation. Oh well, at least he didn’t smell bad. He was definitely sweaty though.

“You going to Bloomington?” he asked.

“No,” she shook her head.

“Muncie?”

“No,” April sighed.

“Indianapolis?”

Finally, she snapped. What was with all the questions? “Why do you want to know?” She turned to him, her hair whipping over her shoulder. “Are you a murderer or something?”

Andy looked taken aback for a moment but he recovered quickly. “Huh? No…uh, sorry,” he said. “I ask too many questions sometimes. You must think I’m a creep. I’m just wondering.” He turned away.

April rolled her eyes and groaned. “It’s not that,” she said. Andy raised an eyebrow. “Okay, I mean, yeah, you’re kinda being a little creepy I guess.” Then he grinned, and April smiled back.

“Sorry,” he said again. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” His eyes roamed over her, pausing for a moment on her belly which she typically liked to keep as hidden as possible.

“I’m going to Indianapolis,” she said, finally.

“Sweet! Me too!”

“What are the odds?” April deadpanned. It wasn’t like Indiana had the most exciting places in the world. There were only so many cities the Pawnee train would take you to. This Andy guy didn’t really seem to get her sarcasm, though.

“I know, right?” he said, cheery once again. “That’s awesome! Is it for work or fun?”

“Work,” she said. “Well, I’m moving there.”

“From Pawnee?” Andy asked.

April nodded.

“Oh cool…yeah, I’m from Pawnee too, but lately I’ve been traveling around a lot with my band.”

“What’s your band’s name?” April asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

“Mouse Rat,” Andy said proudly. “We’re not that big, but we have a chance to open up for this semi-popular band this weekend and then next weekend, so we didn’t want to pass it up. The rest of the my band is driving up tomorrow but I needed to go up and finalize the details ahead of time. I’m kinda the lead singer slash guitarist, slash manager.”

“Got it,” April nodded.

“Maybe you can catch a show of ours sometime,” Andy shrugged. “I can get you free tickets.”

“Maybe,” April said.

The train was moving quickly now. Colors streamed passed the windows as the sun began to set, casting a musty yellow glow on the tops of the train’s seats and passengers’ heads. April yawned.

“If you want to sleep, I’ll wake you when the train gets there,” Andy offered. “I had a huge cup of coffee a little while ago, so I’m pretty wired.” He pulled out a cell phone and started a new text message.

“That’s okay,” April said. “I don’t feel much like sleeping.” She glanced over at him to get a proper view while he was momentarily distracted. He was tall and bulky, big jeans and baggy flannel over a shirt that must have had his band’s logo on it, judging by the symbol of a large mouse-like creature. His hair was golden brown and curly, and his stubble matched. Everything about him seemed large. Even the phone looked comically small in his hands.

“So, you’re moving, huh?” Andy said, looking up once again and tucking the phone into his pocket. “Just you?”

“Yup,” April said. “Well, us,” she pointed to her stomach.

Andy smiled. “How pregnant are you?”

“What?”

Andy screwed up his face, like he was thinking hard. “Shit, that’s not how it’s worded is it?”

April chuckled. “You mean how far along I am?”

“That’s it,” Andy laughed. “That’s what I meant to say.”

“Seven months,” April said. “Well, six and a half, I guess.”

“Wow,” Andy said. “Boy or girl?”

“Girl,” she replied.

“Aww,” Andy let out a soft sound. “That’s awesome…so is your husband already waiting for you? That’s weird that he’s letting you travel alone—“

“No husband,” April said quickly.

“Oh—“

“No boyfriend either,” she added, “just us.”

“Got it,” Andy said softly.

April could tell he wanted to ask her more. Most people usually did. Whenever that happened, she usually deflected the prying questions and changed the subject. Now, sitting next to Andy, she didn’t mind as much as usual.

It wasn’t like she wanted it to be this way. No one would. No one in their right mind would prefer doing this alone then doing this with the help of a partner, or parents who cared, or even a best friend. April didn’t have any of those things. It sucked, but she’d made her peace with it the moment the stick had turned pink. She had no other choice.

Once again, the child within seemed to be reading her mind. Only this time she wasn’t as gentle. April jolted forward when she felt the sharp kick to her ribs. “Ow!”

“Are you okay?” Andy asked nervously, placing a hesitant hand on her shoulder. His eyes looked genuinely worried, searching her.

“Yup,” April grunted. “Happens all the time.” She sat up and leaned against the seat, taking a deep breath. “I’ll be fine.”

“Do you have a doctor in Indianapolis?” Andy asked, his face still unsure.

“Well,” April winced with pain again. “I haven’t met her yet, but I have one lined up.” The pains felt more like cramps now, and they followed one after the other like sharp jolts to her abdomen. She tried her best not to worry too much. It happened. It was normal.

“Okay,” Andy said. “Well, as long as you do—“

“Yup,” April bit down on her bottom lip. “My boss has all that stuff set up for me…part of my relocation package.” She exhaled slowly, the pain gone for now. “He’s got an apartment for me and everything.”

“Good, that’s good…” Andy nodded.

“What about you?” April said, trying to take her mind off the aftershock of the sudden cramps…little pings of pain that hit her right below her belly button. “You staying in Indianapolis for a while?”

“Well, my bandmates and I are staying with a friend for a week or so before we head back to Pawnee,” he said. “Just until the shows are done and long enough to see it we can make anything else of it.”

“Oh,” was all April said, because she didn’t really know what else to say. The baby gave one final kick before her insides finally seemed to take a break.

“You have any family where you’re heading?” Andy asked.

April could tell he was just trying to help her take her mind off the pain. He didn’t honestly care whether or not she had family. Why would he? Whatever, she was grateful anyway. “No, they’re all in Pawnee. And by all I mean my mom and sister.”

“Gotcha,” Andy said. “I bet you’ll miss them.”

“A bit,” she said. “My sister, mostly, but she’s going to Chicago for college in a couple of weeks and I never really see her that often anyway.”

“Ah…”

“Our dad died last year and my mom’s been a little out of it since then.”

“I’m sorry,” Andy said quickly. “My dad is dead too…he died years ago though.”

“I’m sorry too,” April said, truthfully. When you’re on the outside, watching as a family member or loved one, death was a terrible, messy thing. “Was it hard on you?” she found herself asking.

“Yeah,” Andy nodded, his eyes sad for a moment. “It was.”

“I wasn’t close to my dad,” April said, “and I’m not particularly close to my mom, but I can’t say it didn’t mess me up a little.”

What she didn’t tell him was that her dad left both her and her sister fifty-thousand dollars each in his will. If it wasn’t for that nest egg, she’d be a whole hell of a lot more messed up. It was because of that money that she felt more confident about moving. Felt sure enough to have her baby. Ten-thousand of it automatically went into a savings account for her daughter. April was going to make her new life work even if it destroyed her in the process. If she could have her daughter grow up away from the life April was leaving behind, well, that was all that mattered.

The train was slowly lurching to a stop. They’d reached Indianapolis. When they were finally stopped at the station, all the passengers stood up at once. April struggled to stand, her legs exhausted and asleep after hours in the same position. Andy offered his hand, smiling down at her.

“Thanks,” she took it, and together they helped her to her feet.

“Where’s all your stuff?” Andy asked, shouldering his own bag and gripping his guitar case.

“Up there,” April pointed to the luggage rack. Andy pulled it down with one hand, easily shouldering it.

“C’mon,” he gestured for her to lead the way. “I’ve got it for you.”

“Thank you,” she said. “There’s supposed to be a taxi waiting for me.”

Together they walked out of the station. April looked around, watching as the other passengers met up with loved ones and friends offering rides, while even more stepped into waiting taxis. Andy followed her, his guitar case and luggage over one arm and April’s duffel bag over the other. He was a big guy, so she doubted it was bothering him. It was still a funny sight watching him manage it all.

“That’s mine,” April said, pointing to a taxi by the bench outside the doors. Andy helped her load her things inside. She watched him, one hand over her stomach as he moved. She smiled to herself. “Thanks again.”

“No problem April,” he stood back up with a grunt and patted the side of the car. “Hey, listen, if you wanna check out my show this weekend, give me a call.” He took out a scrap of paper and scribbled something on it. “We uh…we don’t really have business cards yet but this’ll have to do.”

April took the number, scribbled messily on the ripped corner of some looseleaf paper, and grinned. “Thanks, but I doubt the huge pregnant girl will go over really well at a rock show.”

“You can be my special guest,” Andy said. “I think you look great.”

April could feel herself blush. “Thank you.”

“Hey, lady,” the cab driver interrupted them, calling to her out the window. “You getting in or not?”

“Obviously I am,” April rolled her eyes at the man. “Hold the hell up.” The cab driver sighed and turned back to face the road. April looked up at Andy again. “Thanks again. Good luck with your band. Maybe I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah, I hope so,” Andy smiled. “Good luck to you too with the new job and your daughter. I think you’re gonna be a pretty awesome mom.”

Out of all the things Andy had said to her since they’d met, that made her feel the best. No one had told her anything of the sort before, and she was starting to believe that maybe she wasn’t cut out for it. Andy changed her mind pretty quickly.

April reached her hand out slowly. Andy shook it immediately. She loved the way his entire hand fit around hers. The warmth of his skin and the callouses that came with being a musician were comforting.

She slid into the back seat of the taxi, waving off Andy’s help with that simple task. She was huge and sometimes it was difficult to do certain things, but it was always easier sitting down than getting back up. She looked up at him as he shut the door. He lifted his hand in one final wave, then the driver took off. April watched Andy get smaller and smaller in the distance, until he was no more than a speck amongst hundreds.


End file.
